Cold Blooded Killers
by Kissy Fishy
Summary: An action-packed tale about assassins, conspiracies, romance, and, of course, Pokemon. Contains Poke, Ikari, Contest, and Oldrivalshipping.
1. Chapter 1

"You are what we make you. You do what we tell you. And you don't question it. Especially when you're in training, Ash. You never know when an accident could occur…"

_-Cold Blooded Killers-_

_A Pokemon Fanfic_

_"A spy, like a writer, lives outside the mainstream population. He steals his experience through bribes and reconstructs it." - John Le Carre_

***AN: This is not a gay/yaoi/slash fic. It contains Poke, Ikari, Oldrival, and Contestshipping. Read at your own risk.***

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* * *

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_One_

The house was silent. Nothing moved except the lights on the wall cast from the cars driving on the freeway outside. In his master bedroom, on a bed that could have fit ten of him comfortably, the man slept. He had a book on his lap, and his glasses were askew on his nose. He snored softly due to the dusty room. He never let the housemaids in his room. It was the filthiest one in the whole house.

On the other side of the house, a window had been left open by one of the maids. Abruptly, a hook shot up out of the darkness and latched onto the windowsill. It made a small _clack_ as it was tightened by the man below.

"Now listen," he was saying to his accomplice. He brushed a few strands of purple hair out of his eyes. "We only kill the target. Everyone else who is in the way, we subdue or knock unconscious. Understand?"

His raven haired partner nodded. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can I shoot the guy this time, Paul?"

"No," Paul said instantly. "You're not ready, kid."

"Aw, come on!" he whined. "I've done all my training. I want to shoot something!"

"You're not ready," repeated his obvious superior. "Now, you go up first, and then you _wait for me _to join you. Understand?"

"Jeez, Paul, he's not a five-year-old," said another person. This voice sounded as if they were talking through a phone.

Paul sighed. "I don't need your help here, Gary." He cast an angry glare at the van parked at the end of the driveway.

"No, but Ashy boy sure does," cackled Gary.

The black haired boy scowled indignantly. "Don't _call_ me that!" he replied.

"Hey, hey," complained a fourth voice. "If you ladies are done bickering, I'd like to get out of the sewer."

"Why, you don't feel at home amongst all the other pieces of shit?" asked Paul.

The voice sighed. "Just get up there."

Paul smirked and handed the rope to Ash. "Go on," he urged.

With nervous hands Ash grabbed the rope. He looked up to the window high above, and wet his lips uncertainly. The young boy exhaled in an attempt to calm himself. "Okay," he said to himself. "Ready… go!"

He pulled himself up on the rope, his feet helping him up along the side of the house. Speedily he scaled the wall, his nerves pushing him to go faster. In no time he had reached the window and climbed inside. His hand flew to the piece of equipment attached to his ear. Gary's voice crackled from the other side of the connection. "You climbed that like my grandpa's Mankey," he observed.

Ash sneered at the insult. Everyone knew Professor Oak's Mankey jittered and shook like a Chihuahua. "At least I climbed the wall. You can hardly tie your shoes."

Their man in the sewer began laughing. "Oh, he got you there, Gary! Burn!"

"Shut up, Drew," Gary growled. "And I can too tie my shoes."

"In an undoable knot, yes," Paul remarked. He grunted in effort as he made his way up the wall. In another moment he had reached the window and stepped gracefully through. "Let's go, kid," he said quietly.

With a nod, Ash followed his partner. They ran silently through the house, their steps muted by the plush carpet. "Left turn," Gary said. "No, you idiots, _left_. Okay, his room is the third one on the right."

"From which wall?" Ash wondered.

There was a group sigh from the other three. Paul shook his head at the trainee and proceeded to open what was apparently the third door on the right. Confused, Ash trailed after him, trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

The room was enormous, with a huge four poster bed taking up a good portion of it. There was a large mirror on the opposite wall, and Ash jumped when he saw his reflection before realizing what it was. The only other furniture in the room was a great desk, and every inch of it was covered with papers and other sorts of clutter. One step and a cloud of dust exploded out of the carpet.

In a heartbeat Paul was at the bedside of the target, his gun pointed at his head. He was about to squeeze the trigger when the dust reached Ash's nose, and he sneezed.

The man jumped awake. "Who's there?" he demanded, but he instantly fell silent when Paul pressed the gun into his skull.

"Make any other noise and I'll blow your head off," he said in his cold voice.

The man whimpered. "S-sorry," he stuttered. He raised his shaking hands above his head in an effort of surrender.

"Nice going, kid," Paul snapped, his eyes flicking to Ash.

Embarrassed, Ash looked down and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, but it's dusty."

"Aw crap," Gary said.

"What's the matter?" Drew asked.

"He's awake," explained the techie.

Drew went silent. "Damn," he swore.

Ash was beyond puzzled. "What's wrong with him being awake? Don't we just pull the trigger?"

"Paul can't kill someone like that," said Drew.

"Yes I can," Paul argued. He turned the gun sideways, glaring at the quivering man beneath it. Abruptly, he swore. "Do you have to look so scared?" he exclaimed.

The man tried to speak, but his fear rendered him speechless. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but the only thing that could be understood were the tears escaping his eyes. Paul stiffened.

"Paul," Gary said quietly, "let the kid do it. He'll be thrilled."

Paul hesitated. He glanced at Ash, and saw everything he used to be. The kid didn't deserve to be as cold as he was.

In an instant, Paul had his arm hooked through the man's and was dragging him out of the room. "We're taking him in," he decided.

"What?" the others cried in unison.

Ash hurried after Paul as he pulled the shaking man down the hall. "Wait, Paul, we can't take him in! The boss will kill us!" He paused. "Literally!"

"I'll take the blame," Paul said without hesitation. He attached their target to the rope and lowered him down.

"Whoa, no way, Paul, not again," Drew insisted. "Please, just shoot the guy. Save us a headache."

"A kidnapping will be even worse than a murder," Gary agreed. They could hear him tapping on his keyboard. "Like, ten times worse."

"Is that an estimate?" Paul said as he slid down the wall.

Gary hesitated. "Yes," he answered in a small voice.

"Then it's not always right, is it?" argued Paul. He had reached the ground and grabbed the guy again. "Coming, kid?" he called to the window.

Ash responded by landing on the ground next to him. His eyes showed how angry he was. "Let's just get out of here." He touched the earpiece. "Open the door, Gary, we're coming."

The man stumbled as Paul forced him to walk faster. They reached the van and climbed in the side door. "Where's Drew?" asked Gary.

"Here," he called, and a man with green hair entered the vehicle. He slammed the door shut. "Let's go."

The others wrinkled their noses at him. "Dude, you stink," said Gary. He put the car in gear and they took off. All sorts of electrical gadgets lurched as he turned out of the driveway.

The van was something of a marvel. Monitors coated one wall of the inside, showing various camera images from inside the man's house. A laptop rested on the dashboard, and another sat on the passenger seat. Wires hung from the roof of the car, a colorful hodgepodge of strings. Spare gadgets for when something broke were piled in the corners. Paul, Ash, Drew, and their captive sat on the hard metal bench that ran across one side of the van.

The man was shaking violently. Every bump in the road sent him into another fit of terror. The gun was still pressed in his back, but now it seemed like insurance more than anything. Finally, he got up the courage to speak. "W-why didn't you sh-sh-shoot me?" he stammered.

"Because Paul is a pansy," Ash said.

Instantly the gun was removed from the man's back and aimed at Ash. "You think I can't kill?" he whispered. "You think I'm scared to do it? Because I'm not. I'll shoot you right here, and splatter your blood all over Gary's precious monitors and watch your body fall to the ground and never, ever move again."

"Ow," said Gary. "Please don't, if only for the sake of my monitors."

Ash, however, was not frightened. He met Paul's deadly glare evenly. "You won't kill me," he said. "I'm the 'secret weapon'."

"Not yet," Drew told him. He was met with a glare from both of them, and shrunk away. "Sorry. Not helping, am I?"

Paul scowled at Ash a moment longer before returning the gun to his victim's forehead. "Let's get Ash back home so he can get plenty of sleep for school tomorrow," he said to Gary.

Ash blinked. "School? I have to go to school?"

"Of course," Drew said. "You're sixteen, right?"

"Seventeen," he corrected.

Drew rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You've got to finish high school, at least. And tomorrow is your first day at Gary's school!" He placed an arm around Ash's shoulder sarcastically. "Our little boy's growing up! I think I'm going to cry." He looked around. "Anyone have a tissue?"

Ash threw his arm off in disgust. "You're weird," he said.

Drew laughed openly. "And yet the ladies love me!" he claimed.

"Oh sure," Gary retorted. "They just like to say they banged a guy with green hair."

"If you don't mind me saying," the man interjected, "you four are the most unprofessional assassins I have ever had try to kill me."

Paul actually chuckled at this. "Thank you," he told him.

"Are we dropping him at HQ?" Gary called.

"I'll take him in," Paul replied. "You guys make sure the kid gets home."

"I don't need to be babysat," Ash grumbled.

Gary pulled into the parking lot of the bank building, and Paul and their target got out. "See you guys tomorrow. Ash, I'm taking you to school. Be ready by 7:15."

With a groan, the young boy nodded and shut the door. "I am not looking forward to tomorrow," he said grumpily.

"Why not?" Gary questioned. He pulled back onto the freeway and beeped his horn at the idiot in front of him. "You get your first Pokemon tomorrow."

"I do? No way!" he exclaimed. Ash was suddenly overjoyed. "Yes! Finally."

Drew snickered at him. "You're excited, aren't you?" he teased.

"Of course I am!" said Ash. "I've been waiting for this day for five years."

"Do you know what you're going to get?" Gary asked him.

Ash sighed happily. "No idea," he admitted. "Hopefully your grandpa will give me something good."

With a grin, Drew reached into his pocket and pulled out the precious ball. It was adorned with stickers and random doodles. The only thing prominent about it was Drew's name, elaborately written in curly handwriting. "My Roserade," he said proudly. He pecked the ball with his lips. "She's a beauty, she is."

Ash stared at the pokeball in awe. He had seen Drew's Roserade once before, and had never ceased to admire the creature.

Gary smirked and reached over the passenger seat. He held two balls in his free hand. "My Blastoise and my Electivire," he said with a tad of arrogance. "The best ones in the business."

"My Roserade could take your Blastoise any day of the week," snapped Drew.

"I highly doubt that," Gary chortled.

"Care to put that big head of yours to the test?" he challenged.

Gary glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "You're on. Tomorrow, after school?"

"The arena on the roof," Drew agreed. He smiled as if he had already won. "I am going to kick your ass, Oak."

"I'll bet you next week's paycheck you won't."

"Deal!" Drew shouted excitedly.

Ash looked between his two friends and had to grin. He couldn't wait until he had his own Pokemon. It would be stronger and more powerful than both of theirs put together, he would make sure of that.

They finally came to a stop at the apartment Ash was living at. He tromped up the stairs to see his mother reading on the recliner. "Hi, sweetie!" she exclaimed, getting up to embrace him. "How was the mission?"

"It sucked," he replied. "Paul didn't kill the guy, and he wouldn't let me do it either!"

His mother smiled. "I'm sure he had a good reason, Ashy. Now why don't you get to bed, hm? You have school tomorrow."

With a bit more complaining, Ash finally climbed into his bed. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he was under the covers, and he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

***AN: This will be long, with irregular updates. Thank you for reading and reviewing. And to all my Sky Cat fans who found me again: YOU ROCK! Anywho, till the next ridiculously long chapter.***


	2. Chapter 2

_Two_

Paul exhaled exasperatedly. "I _told_ him I'd be here at 7:15." He rang the doorbell again.

Still no one came to the door. He knew Delia had gone into HQ early and was already filing away reports, but that was no excuse for no one to come to the door. Hadn't she raised her son with common courtesy?

Finally, he heard the locks click as they were undone. The door opened to reveal an exhausted, pajama-wearing Ash. "Wha?" he said groggily.

Paul's eyes went wide. "You're not ready? You're going to be late, you lazy ass! Go, go get dressed. You have five minutes before I call your mom."

Ash yawned hugely and rubbed his eyes. "Late for what?" he asked sleepily.

"School, you retard, now get dressed before I come in there and do it myself."

It took Ash a moment to understand what Paul had said, and when he did, he was revolted. "Ew, you sicko, no way! Get away from me!"

"Then go get ready for school!"

* * *

When Paul pulled up in his sexy black corvette, the busy schoolyard seemed to freeze. All the chatter stopped, and every head turned to see the car that purred up to the curb, craned their necks for a better look at the gorgeous purple haired driver in his mysterious sunglasses, and giggled when the cute messy haired boy stepped out.

Three girls, in particular, were highly interested in the boy and his sexy chauffeur.

"Oh my gosh, would you look at _him_?" squealed one. Her blue hair framed her beautiful face and gave her giggle a certain something that made the football team (which was watching from afar) go weak in the knees.

"Forget about him, Dawn," said her brunette friend. She adjusted her bandana. "Look at his car!"

The third member of their party was busy yanking her red hair into a ponytail. "Bet you anything the kid who got out is a basketball player."

"What makes you say that?" asked Dawn.

Her friend finished her ponytail and nodded at the boy's figure as he retreated nervously into the school. "Look how tall he is. His legs are as long as you, May!"

"Well, I'll bet you he's too busy for after school sports," retorted May. She did not approve of her height being made fun of. "He must be new, so he probably has a lot of things to take care of and doesn't have time for things like basketball."

"Do you think we'll have any classes with him?" Dawn asked. "I want to know who that guy was with the purple hair."

"He was clearly too old for you," Misty said.

Dawn glared at her. "Thanks for dashing my hopes, Mist."

Her friend shrugged. "It's what I'm here for," she said. She grinned. "Come on, we're going to be late for English."

* * *

Ash studied his map of the school with frustration. Sure, he could read the blueprints of a building and know his way around in an instant, but when it came to finding room 218, he was at a loss. It didn't help that he had gotten a grand total of four hours sleep the night before.

"Where am I now?" he asked himself, turning the paper this way and that in an attempt to find his position. He looked around, searching for the numbers of the rooms he was standing near. The throngs of people made it difficult to get through, but he was tall enough to see over most of their heads.

His height really came in handy when he spotted the one person he knew at this high school.

"Gary!" Ash shouted, and many people turned to stare at him. His friend was in one of the classrooms, wearing a white lab coat and safety goggles. Feeling not so lost anymore, Ash pushed his way through the crowd and stumbled into the classroom. It was empty, save for his friend. "What are you doing?"

Gary did not look at Ash but remained focused on the measuring cups in front of him. "Nothing terribly important. You?"

"Trying to find my way around this school," he said with a yawn.

He glanced at Ash. "Are you tired?" he asked.

Ash nodded and stifled another yawn. "Didn't sleep long enough last night," he admitted.

Gary added a little bit of white powder to his concoction, and it bubbled ominously. "Here," he said, handing the beaker to Ash. "Drink this."

With a frown, Ash accepted the bubbling potion and took a generous gulp of it. His face contorted with its taste, but he forced himself to swallow it. "Ugh," he said.

"Did it taste bad?" Gary wanted to know.

"Awful," he replied.

"Oh," he said, taking the beaker back from his friend. "Shame. I was hoping it would taste better."

"Was it supposed to wake me up?" asked Ash.

"Hm? No, why would you think that?" Gary questioned. He laughed a little at his friend's stupidity. "I just wanted you to tell me if it tasted good or not."

"What was in it?"

Gary frowned and grabbed the notebook that had been sitting on the table beside him. "Vinegar, sodium, orange flavored powder, half a pixie stick, some potassium and…" He squinted and pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket. "Baking soda."

Ash stared at him. "And you expected it to taste good?"

"No," said Gary honestly. "I wasn't sure, so I had you try it first." His eyes found the clock on the wall. "What class do you have first?"

Ash flipped the paper with the map over to reveal his schedule. "Um, English."

"Ah," remarked his friend. "Then you're late."

"What?" Ash cried. He whipped around to see the digital clock reading ten minutes past eight. "Oh no! I'm late!" With that, he flew out of the room.

Gary smirked and went back to his measuring cups. He heard Ash come back into the room with his flustered panting. "Yes?"

"Where's room 218?" he gasped.

Still smirking, Gary pointed to the left. Ash nodded his thanks and sprinted down the hall again. He found himself chuckling about the young boy. He was so oblivious when it came to normal things, but the kid was a natural agent; someone truly worthy of the title "secret weapon."

Currently, Gary had a free period, so he continued to experiment with whatever the lab room had. Until she walked in.

"Hi Gary."

Gary dropped the test tube he had been holding so delicately in his hands. It shattered on the table, the vinegar inside it going everywhere. "L-Leaf!" he cried, swallowing hard.

Leaf was a girl with auburn hair and bright blue eyes that glittered with intelligence. Her outfits were always modest, and her personality was always gentle and curious. She giggled at his fright. "Did I scare you?" she teased.

The boy searched for something remotely intelligent to say, but nothing came to mind. "Uh," was what he wound up saying.

"I'm sorry," Leaf apologized, though her smile never faded. Her nose wrinkled. "Vinegar?" she asked.

Gary blinked and found his wits again. "Yeah, it is—I mean, was. Well, it still is, but—God! Hi, how are you?" he said with an embarrassed smile.

Leaf giggled at his stuttering, and Gary's insides turned to mush. "I'm good, Gary, how are you?"

He grinned back at her. With a glance at his pants, he saw that the vinegar had run off the table and soaked his left leg. "I'm covered in vinegar, thank you very much!" he accused sarcastically.

"Oh, well, my apologies," Leaf replied. She walked over to the sink on the other side of the room and unwound a generous amount of paper towels. "Here," she said, and she knelt down in order to help clean him up.

"Y-you don't have to do that!" cried Gary.

"Yes I do, it's my fault," Leaf argued. "Now hold still."

Not wanting to offend her, Gary remained stiff and motionless, his blush steadily getting deeper as she continued to brush his leg with the towels. _She's touching me,_ was the only thing Gary could think of. _She is _touching_ me._

"There," Leaf said finally, rising from her crouch. "All better." She blinked in confusion when she saw Gary's face. "Something wrong? You're all red."

"What? I am?" he questioned. He raised a hand to his face, and sure enough, he could feel the heat radiating from it. "Oh. I guess it's just embarrassing to spill vinegar on myself in front of a lady."

Leaf smiled. "You don't have to act like a little kid about it," she cajoled. "It's not the end of the world."

_It could have been,_ he thought, but he didn't dare say it aloud. "I know," he admitted. He searched for another topic of conversation, but he must have taken too long.

Leaf tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at the floor. "Well, I'd better get to the library," she said. "See you later."

"Oh! Bye," Gary called as she rushed out of the classroom. The door slammed shut behind her. His hand had been raised in a half-wave, and slowly, he pulled it back down. Abruptly, he kicked the lab table. "You idiot!" he told himself.

* * *

Ash was running so fast he skidded right by room 218. "Hi!" he panted. "I'm… I'm Ash Ketchum."

The teacher up on the board smiled rather strangely at him. "Nice of you to join us," he said. "I'm Mr. Marks." He gestured to the only empty chair. It was at the front of the room and next to a tough looking redhead. "Have a seat."

Ash pursed his lips and took the spot next to the girl. She glanced up at him in an annoyed way. Without a word, she pushed her binder and other papers to the other side of the table, as far from him as she could get. He narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing. A glance at one of her papers told him her name was Misty Waterflower, she wasn't very organized, and she wrote her y's the curly way rather than the straight way.

Mr. Marks watched the whole affair with an amused smirk before turning back to the whiteboard. "Okay, so when writing _Hamlet_, Shakespeare was…" and that was all Ash heard before he was distracted by movement out of the corner of his eye.

A girl with navy blue hair was trying to capture the attention of the redhead to his right, and finally succeeded. Misty turned slowly and made a shrug, as if to say "What?"

Her friend gestured wildly to Ash, mouthing things he couldn't quite catch without looking straight at her. It made him both uncomfortable and flattered that they were already talking about him. Misty shook her head determinedly, and her friend continued to persuade her.

Finally, Misty succumbed to whatever her friend wished and turned to Ash. Instinctively he leaned closer to her without looking away from their teacher. "My friend would like to know who the guy was that dropped you off," she murmured.

It took Ash all had not to laugh aloud. "Paul?" he questioned. "Oh, he's too old for her."

Misty turned to look at her friend, her expression clearly stating, "I told you so." The blunette, however, smiled. "Paul," she mouthed, and her eyes clouded with a daydream.

Misty's eyes widened with horror. She shook her head and turned back to the whiteboard. "There is no reasoning with Dawn once she's love struck," she breathed.

"With Paul, no less," Ash chuckled quietly. "I don't think he's capable of emotion."

"My other friend is in love with his car," Misty told him, snickering as well.

Ash stared at her. "And I suppose you fell for his sunglasses, right?"

Misty was finding it hard to contain her giggles. "Absolutely. They were so dark and mysterious that I could have fallen right into them!"

"Is this something you two would like to share with the class?" Mr. Marks questioned.

Neither of them could answer. Their laughs had overcome their ability to speak, and the fact that they were trying to keep them silent only worsened the situation. The only thing they learned that day was how short their teacher's temper was, because not even two minutes later, they were sitting in the office, waiting for the principal to see them.

"So," Misty said, still grinning, "you're new, huh?"

"Yeah," Ash confirmed. "I didn't expect to get in trouble so quickly. Must be you," he guessed.

"Do I look like a troublemaker, Ash?" she demanded.

"Like a master prankster," he affirmed.

She nodded. "I could see that." Misty nudged Ash. "You would be the victim in all of them, I assure you."

Ash let out a laugh and pushed her away. "Gee, thanks."

"Students," said the principal. The two ceased their laughter immediately and tried to look dignified. "Come with me," she ordered, and she led them briskly to her office.

The two exchanged a glance that pushed them over the edge, sending them into silent fits of laughter. They followed the principal in her pencil skirt and professional hairstyle, the whole way making silent jokes about her butt and the mole on the end of her nose.

She held the door to her office open for the giggling duo, casting them an evil glare as they took the seats in front of her desk. With a sneer, she marched to the other side of the desk and slammed her hands down. "This behavior is inexcusable," she said in her most important tone.

Misty could not contain herself any longer. Her laughter came out in a loud and abrupt cackle, and Ash simply had to join in. "S-sunglasses!" he managed, and the word sent the two of them to a whole new level of hoots.

The principal's upper lip curled up angrily. "I will not stand for students behaving like this!" she proclaimed. She pointed accusingly at Ash. "I would have expected more from someone of your stature, at least on the first day."

Ash just grinned. "I'm sorry," he said, and another swoop of laughter befell the two.

"And you, Miss Waterflower!" she cried, staring at Misty. "Your sisters and I had a long talk about your behavior only a month ago. Do I need to call them in again?"

"That depends," Misty replied. "Do they need to go to another photo shoot?" Because she and Ash were already in such high spirits, the fact that he didn't fully understand the joke didn't matter. They were roaring with laughter anyways.

"Detention!" cried the principal, but they only laughed harder. "All week!" she added. "And Ash, I am calling your mother!"

His laughter ceased instantly. This was a true threat. "You don't have to do that," he told her.

The principal's eyes glittered. Finally, she had found something to hang over his head. "Oh, I think I do."

"The doctors said not to stress her out," he explained.

This caused her to pause as she reached for the phone. "What do you mean?" she asked warily.

Ash shrugged. His face hurt from smiling so much. "Well, she's in a delicate state, what with her being sick and all."

Misty gaped at him, her eyes full of pity. Ash caught her beautiful aqua eyes and gave a wink, rendering her extremely confused. The principal did not see the exchange, as she was now worriedly wondering what she should do. "Oh," she said. "Then, um, I'll call your brother."

Ash did his best not to grin as he remembered who was registered as his brother. "Okay," he agreed.

* * *

When Drew pulled up in his classic white '68 Fastback, a few of the guys who happened to see the car actually fainted. He climbed out without opening the door, as the top was down, and removed his sunglasses to reveal his stunning emerald eyes. He trotted up the stairs and entered the building, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"I'm here for Ash Ketchum," he said to the receptionist.

The poor girl with her freckled face and close set eyes never had a chance. "Of course," she conceded. She looked as if she were melting. "He's in Miss Johanson's office."

Drew smiled flirtatiously. "Thanks," he replied, and with a toss of his keys, he proceeded to the principal's office.

Miss Johanson was guzzling water by the gallon, clearly wishing it were something else. She felt immensely guilty about Ash Ketchum's mother. Had she known, she would never have suggested calling the poor woman.

"Aren't you worried your brother won't help you?" Misty said quietly. They didn't want the principal to overhear their conversation.

Ash shook his head. "Wait till you meet him. Your friend would dump Paul's car in a second for his."

At that moment, the door to the office opened. Miss Johanson spun around, expecting to see an ugly, acne-ridden kid and give him a piece of her mind about how to go about raising his brother.

Unfortunately, that was not what she saw.

Ash Ketchum's brother, Drew, was perfect in every way. His soft green hair rested on his head like feathers. The bangs had grown too long and fell into his sparkling emerald eyes, and he had developed the subconscious flip to keep his vision clear. Since it was nearly summer, he was wearing a navy t-shirt instead of the usual purple jacket, and it was tight enough to show the excellent muscles he had.

Misty's jaw dropped, but it was the principal's that hit the floor.

"Hi," Drew said, and his voice was smooth and enticing. "I'm Drew, Ash's brother." He glanced at Ash and Misty, his eyes lingering on the latter. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Um, well, your brother and Miss Waterflower have received detention for the whole week," she stammered. Clearly Drew had quite an effect on her.

"Really?" he asked. He cast Ash a "you-naughty-boy" look. "He didn't even get through the first day."

"Or the first class," Ash added.

Drew arched an eyebrow. "I am impressed." He folded his arms. "So why exactly was I called here?"

Ash blinked and leapt into action. "I told her that I couldn't stay for detention because the only time I'm allowed to visit Mom is right after school. She wanted you here to confirm it."

Miss Johanson cocked her head in confusion. Was that what happened? Sounded good to her.

Drew's tongue pushed at the inside of his cheek as he pondered the statement. "Huh," he said. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Three to five, right?"

Ash beamed at his phony brother. If there was anything great about knowing people who lied for a living, it was this. "Yeah, and I don't want to miss any of it."

Miss Johanson found herself nodding as she basked in the glow of Drew. "Alright," she said. "You may leave."

"Both of us?" Misty questioned desperately.

The principal looked like she was about to protest, but Drew flipped his hair, and she pardoned Misty as well. "Get back to class, both of you," she said, shooing them away. "Um, Drew, I was wondering if it would be alright if I spoke to you about Ash's… schedule."

Drew, ever smooth, hurriedly came up with an excuse. "I can't. I've got to get back to work." He waved politely. "See ya." He was almost out the main doors when he beckoned to Ash. "Hey, kid, come here a minute."

Obediently, Ash came. "Yeah?"

His false sibling let out a long sigh. "Can you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Of course," Ash said.

"Don't ever get in trouble again," he begged. "Your principal is creepy."

Ash snorted with laughter at this. "Absolutely," he affirmed, grinning.

Drew smiled, nodded, and sallied back to his car.

* * *

There was one other person observing Drew, and she was in the garage. The high school had its own car repair and garage, and May, being a grease monkey, ran the place better than the teacher ever did. She had seen Drew pull up in his beautiful car, and had known at a glance what it was. Of course, that didn't stop her from staring. How often did one see a car that old being driven by someone that young and handsome?

But being as shy as she was, May couldn't bring herself to go out and talk to the man. However, the instant he went inside the school, she hurried outside. She had to see the car up close, maybe pop open the hood to see just how good the engine was…

May started out a few feet away, telling herself that if the driver came out, she could make a run for it and he would never see her. But as time passed, she found herself edging closer and closer to the vehicle. It was so pristine, so well-kept. The leather seats glistened and called her name. The clutch was in park, but it looked as if the slightest movement would put it in drive for her.

Before she knew it, she was examining every aspect of the car, from the gleaming mustang symbol on the front to the chrome words on the back. The top was down, giving her a full view of the car's seductive seats and pedals. Oh, what she wouldn't give to sit in the driver's seat, and feel the purr of what was sure to be a fabulous motor…

May had been leaning over the side of the car, trying to get a better look at the dials and other gizmos the driver would see. She had been careful not to touch it with her grease-covered hands, afraid she might smudge the paint. She had completely forgotten about the driver.

"What are you doing?"

May screamed and jumped back. "I'm sorry!" she said immediately. "I just wanted to look! I've never seen a real Fastback before, only pictures, and I wanted to know everything about it and I really wanted to open the hood to see the engine but I didn't because I didn't think that would be okay and your car is really, really nice sir and I'm sorry!" She felt the tears coming. He was certainly angry at her. She should never have come to look at the car. Stupid, stupid girl! She rubbed her nose in an effort to hold off the tears.

The driver started laughing. "You've got grease all over your hands!" he reminded her.

Blinking, May looked down at her black hands. She gasped in horror and covered her mouth with her hands, a gesture that would have been fine had she not just given herself a gothic makeover. It took her a moment to realize what she had done, and when she did, she went cherry red. "I can't believe I just did that!" she cried. "What was I thinking?"

The driver kept laughing at her, which only enraged her. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a box of tissues. "Here," he offered, still chuckling.

"It's not that funny," May snapped. "I mean, you've got green hair. What are you laughing about?" She took a wad of tissues and proceeded to wipe her face and hands.

"Hey, don't go dissing my hair," he warned. "It's probably the coolest hair you'll ever see."

May sneered and worked at particularly tough bit of grease on her palm. "Yeah," she said. "Because my friend's blue hair or that guy's purple hair just doesn't top green."

"If you say my hair is the best," he said, smirking, "I'll let you look under the hood."

May seized up. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really."

She bit her lip, obviously pondering his offer with a lot of concentration. She could admit his hair was the best and get to see the gorgeous engine that was simply waiting for her, or she could keep her pride and be as stubborn as possible. Ordinarily, she would go with the latter.

But she _really_ wanted to see that motor…

"Your hair is the best," she said quickly. "Now open it."

He smiled playfully. "Absolutely."

"Hey!" called a voice, and May turned to see the garage teacher running out to her. "What are you doing out here? You can't be out of class!"

The driver sighed. "I guess you can't see it," he said sadly.

"Oh no," she argued. "I'm going to see that engine if it kills me. I will see you again, and I will see your beautiful, sexy car too." She paused. "Does it have a name?"

He started laughing. "You want to know the name of my car, not me?"

"Fine," she said. "I'm May."

"I'm Drew," he told her with a smile. He glanced at the car. "I think you should name it." He patted the hood. "Let me know next time I see you."

And with that, Drew got in his nameless car and drove off.

***AN: What should I name the car? I have been pondering this for a long time, and I need ideas. I hope making May a grease monkey wasn't out of character. Didn't seem like it to me... **

**To my veteran reviewers: I promise, it will be every bit as good as Sky Cat, since Amber Ice Fox will again be editing. And hopefully I can get the plot worked out more for you, Nianque! To my new reviewers: Hi! I'm weird! This story will be loooooong, so buckle up! Ordinarily I would reply to everyone but I'm honestly too lazy right now. So thank ya'll for your reviews and for reading!***


	3. Chapter 3

***AN: Oh no! A forenote! How dare I? Anywho, this chapter has some slightly inappropriate talk at the end. Don't like, don't read. It's not that bad, but... just a warning.*

* * *

**

_Three_

The rest of the day passed slowly for Ash. He was in anticipation of receiving his first Pokemon, and nothing could ease his excitement. It turned out he had three other classes with Misty, and the others he had with at least one of her friends. So far, the only people Ash knew were girls.

He met the girl who was in love with Paul's car, May. She had a black smudge on her nose and was still slightly pink in the cheeks from something that had happened earlier. He got a formal introduction to the blue haired girl, Dawn, who was smitten with Paul himself, and decided she was ridiculously bubbly and would probably be the best to go to if he ever had outfit troubles. He sincerely hoped he would never have to go to her for that reason.

The third girl was named Leaf, and was the nerd of the group. She was pretty enough, and she claimed to love anything British. Her curiosity seemed to get the better of her most of the time, but there wasn't anything film or television related that she didn't know the answer to. Ash decided that if he ever played _Scene it?_ with these girls, he would want her on his team.

In all the classes Ash had with Dawn, there was at least one guy trying to pick her up. In History, it was a hyperactive blond kid named Barry. While Ash was asking her for help during French, a guy named Kenny and another named Lucas wanted to know if she was free on Saturday. While he, Leaf, and Dawn worked on a group project for Biology, a redhead named Buck came up and tried to flirt with her. And, one after another, Dawn politely told them to get lost.

Ash was too bewildered and embarrassed to point it out in front of Dawn, so he waited until he was in math with Leaf and Misty. "Does every guy here wish they were with Dawn?" he asked.

Leaf, who had been studiously doing her assignment, answered immediately. "Yup," she said. "Even some of the teachers."

"That is ridiculous," he commented.

Misty shrugged. "She's a pretty girl," she said. She sighed with exasperation and slammed her pencil on the desk. "I don't get this. Can I copy from you?"

"How about I explain it to you instead?" Leaf offered.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Fine. Oh, I've been meaning to ask you; you smell like vinegar. What happened?"

Ash stared at her, wondering why her cheeks were turning pink. "I, um, caused… you-know-who to spill vinegar on his pants, so I helped him clean up."

There was silence.

"Oh my gosh, Leaf, you sly fox!" congratulated Misty. "I can't believe you had the courage to do that."

"I didn't actually decide to do it," Leaf muttered. "I just kinda did it."

"Did what? With who?" Ash wondered.

Misty grinned at Ash. "She helped the object of her affections get vinegar off his pants. Which is amazing, because she hardly has the nerve to talk to him."

Ash arched an eyebrow. "And who might this be?" he pressed.

Leaf sighed. "I can't tell you," she said through gritted teeth.

Misty, on the other hand, was all for embarrassing her friend. "Um, let's see, what was his name again…? Something with a 'g'…"

On impulse, Ash took a wild guess. "Gary?" he tried.

The two girls froze. "H-how do you know Gary?" Leaf interrogated. "He's a senior. You can't possibly have any classes with him."

Ash gaped at her. "No way," he breathed. "You have a crush on Gary?"

"More like she's head over heels in love with him," Misty corrected.

"But _Gary?_" Ash said again. "Of all people, you like Gary Oak?"

"Not so loud, you moron!" Leaf hissed. She hesitated. "And yes, I do, now keep quiet about it!"

Ash could not help but stare at her. "I can't believe it," he said.

"What?" Leaf asked.

"Someone actually likes that asshole."

Leaf whacked him with her papers. "He is _not_ an asshole. He's very kind and he always helps me with my chemistry."

In all the years Ash had known him, he had never heard of Gary helping _anyone_ do _anything_. The fact that he would help this girl in particular made him stumble in his theories. "Oh does he?" he asked.

"Yes," Leaf confirmed. Her expression became dreamy. "The way he explained Piv Nert was _so_ sexy…"

"Explained what?" Misty said. She looked at Ash, feeling another bout of laughing coming on.

"It's a chemistry thing," she replied, waving her away. "You wouldn't understand."

Misty shook her head hopelessly. "Nor would I want to," she murmured.

Suddenly, the bell rang. The last class of the day was over. "Finally," Ash sighed, and he stood and stretched. "I can't wait to talk to Gary."

Leaf glared at him. "Mention me and you won't wake up tomorrow."

Ash desperately wanted to throw that back in her face by telling her he was an assassin in training and it would be impossible for someone like her to sneak up on him, but he had to remain silent. Five years ago, when he had joined the Company, Paul had told him the worst thing you could ever do was reveal yourself. In the world, anyone and everyone was an enemy. You were always undercover, no matter where you went.

He had to remember that.

* * *

From their usual spot by the tree, Misty, May, Dawn, and Leaf observed the schoolyard as all the students rushed to leave. It was almost comical how determined they were to flee the premises.

"There!" Dawn cried, pointing enthusiastically. "There's Paul!"

The other three followed her finger to see the sleek, black corvette parked in the lot. Its purple headed driver was leaning against it, his sunglasses hiding his eyes again.

Dawn sighed. "Oh Paul, won't you remove your shades, so that I may see the color of your lovely eyes?"

May sputtered with laughter. "You sound like something out of Shakespeare!" she told her.

"It's not my fault Romeo's playing hard to get," she replied.

"You haven't even met him!" cried Misty.

Dawn narrowed her eyes determinedly. She hitched her bag a little higher on her shoulder, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and stomped down to the road.

"Oh my gosh, is she actually going to talk to him?" Leaf wondered.

May and Misty exchanged bewildered expressions. "She's crazy!" May exclaimed.

The three watched their confident friend parade through the hordes of students, dodging pick up lines like a pro. She stepped over the island that harbored a few dead bushes, and then she was right in front of him.

Paul, being Paul, assumed she was just a student going to her car or something. A gorgeous student, yes, but a student nonetheless. He allowed himself a glance and then focused on looking for Ash.

The girl stopped right before him, took on a rather skeptical expression, and folded her arms crossly. "Hello," she said.

Paul jumped. Was she talking to him? "Hi?" he said uncertainly.

"You're Paul, aren't you?"

He sighed. So this girl was Ash's friend. Figures. She probably had some stupid little crush on Ash and wanted to know how best to court him. Paul removed his sunglasses, thinking he would make eye contact with the girl and explain how off-limits Ash was.

She gasped. Paul scowled. What had he done that shocked her? God, this girl was trouble with a capital T. "What?" he said in an annoyed tone.

"Your eyes," she whispered. "They're black."

Paul sneered. "Yes, and when I'm not hungry, they're red. Now what do you want, troublesome girl?"

"Troublesome?" she repeated. She put her hands on her hips indignantly. "I'm not troublesome!"

"Prove me wrong," he countered.

The two stared at each other for a while, glares evenly matched. Finally, Paul saw Ash coming down the steps and went to don his glasses again.

"No, no, no," Troublesome said, touching his arm. "Don't put them back on."

He snorted, but left them off.

"Hey Dawn," Ash greeted. "Hey Paul."

"Hi Ash," Dawn/Troublesome replied.

Ash met Paul's stony black eyes. "Can I drive?"

"No."

"Aw, please, Paul?" he pleaded. But Ash was already giving up and getting into the passenger door.

"No."

He pouted. "You never let me drive."

"Because you don't know how," snapped Paul.

Dawn was left standing alone, watching the corvette zoom out of the parking lot with a scowl.

The instant the car was out of sight, her friends flocked to her. "What happened? What did he say?" they squawked.

She was silent for a long time, so long that her friends feared she was frozen with love. That is, until she exploded like a volcano.

"That _jerk!_" she screamed, stamping her foot. "How dare he speak to me like that? He didn't even ask for my name!" She made a furious sound. "I hate that man!"

"Wow," Misty whistled. "Someone needs to get off the emotional roller coaster for the day."

"He is," Dawn huffed, "the meanest," (she started making her way to the car) "and sexiest guy," (she got in the backseat) "I have ever met."

Leaf chuckled and got in beside her. "Conflicting emotions?"

"Yes," she said.

Misty stepped into the passenger seat, and May got behind the wheel. "Are we all strapped in?" she asked.

The other three rolled their eyes. "Yes, May," they replied in synch.

"Good," she said. May put the car in drive and pulled them out of the parking lot. She reached for the radio, flicking it to her favorite station.

"Ack! No!" cried Dawn. "Kill me now, for the music is torture."

"Oh calm down," May snapped. "It's Cheap Trick!"

"Very," replied the blunette.

The two's eyes met in the rearview mirror. They always had fights about the music. Dawn always complained about May's choices, but May was the one driving. The argument was if anyone didn't like her taste, they could walk home.

It was the only thing May could control, the only thing she ever put up a fight about, and she liked to keep it that way.

* * *

"Come on, Gary!" Drew jeered. "Me and Roserade are waiting!"

Gary rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, just let me get Ash his Pokemon." He leaned against the lockers. "Done yet?"

Ash was jittering with excitement. Of course he was ready! But his badge had been caught in the locker, and he needed it to go into the rest of the building.

"Hey Ash!" James called. Ash looked up to see the blue headed man standing with Roark. James and Jessie had both quit their "enemies" and joined their side due to a romance that wasn't allowed over there. Now, though, James enjoyed picking on Ash every time he did something wrong. "Achoo!" he sneezed, and he and Roark buckled down in laughter.

"Ha ha," Ash replied sarcastically. He turned to Gary. "How do they know about that?" he murmured.

"There are no secrets here," Gary answered. He was eyeing his untied shoelace nervously.

With a final tug, the badge came free, and Ash slammed his locker shut enthusiastically. "Finally! Let's go before all the good ones are gone."

Gary smirked. "You don't get to pick; you know that," he said.

"I know," he admitted disappointedly, but he started jogging nonetheless. "But it's an excuse to rush, right?"

"Perhaps," his friend replied vaguely.

Ash stopped his brisk pace. "You know what Pokemon I'm getting, don't you?"

Gary turned back to him. "Of course," he said. "Everyone knows." He kept walking. "Hurry up!"

This caught Ash off guard. "Wait, the whole Company knows what I'm getting before I do?"

"Pretty much," called Gary. He was already on the other side of the hallway.

Ash began running to catch up. "Hey! Tell me what I'm getting! Come on, Gary, please?"

* * *

Professor Oak placed the pokeball in Ash's eager hands. "Now be careful," the old man warned. "No one else in the Company has this Pokemon. I recently developed it, so you're the first."

Ash stared at the glistening red ball with awe. "No one else has it," he repeated, feeling immensely special and unique. "Wow."

Gary smirked. "Aren't you going to open it?"

In response, Ash enlarged the golf ball sized orb to the size of a softball and, with trembling fingers, pressed the center release button.

There was a bright flash of white light, blinding Ash momentarily. He blinked away the spots from his vision and looked at his Pokemon for the very first time.

"Pika!" it said.

Ash's jaw dropped. It was a _mouse_.

"His name is Pikachu," said the professor. "He's mostly electric, but he has a lot of potential to learn all sorts of moves. He's a pretty powerful little fella."

Ash blinked at the yellow creature before him. Puzzled, he pointed at it and met the professor's gaze. "This is a mouse," he said.

Professor Oak nodded. "And a very cute one at that," he chuckled.

"Have you met my mother, Professor?" Ash asked innocently. "She'll never let me keep a rodent."

"I already talked to Delia, and she is fine with it," Oak told him. He sighed. "Why are they never happy with the ones they get?"

"Pi?" the mouse said questioningly.

Gary nodded and abruptly clapped Ash on the back. "Well, I've got a battle with a certain cabbage head. If you would like to come and watch, we'll be on the roof."

"You're battling Drew?" asked his grandfather.

"Yup. My Blastoise against his Roserade." Gary looked pretty smug.

His grandfather sighed again. "Even with the Type disadvantage, you're still cocky."

"I learn from the best," Gary responded. With that, he whisked out of the lab and headed up to the roof.

"Pikachu, huh?" Ash said aloud. He began nodding to himself, watching the mouse scratch its long, pointed ear. It was terribly cute, and although it didn't make him feel manly, it certainly made him feel equal. Perhaps this was just another test, and he needed to prove himself capable of turning a weak, girly Pokemon into a force to be reckoned with. "This could work."

He extended a friendly hand and placed it on its head. Pikachu looked up at him curiously for a moment before reacting. And boy, _did it react_.

"PikaCHU!" he cried, and a painful jolt of electricity shot through Ash. When it stopped, Ash smelled burning flesh and hair. He glanced down at his new mouse and saw it was glaring at him demonically.

_Oh yeah,_ Ash thought spitefully. _This is gonna work beautifully.

* * *

_

Paul was sitting on the bleachers that were set up around the roof arena. He was one of the first to arrive, and was considering placing money on who he thought the victor would be. It was a tough call, honestly, as both Gary and Drew were excellent Trainers.

_Should be a fun match,_ he told himself.

A few minutes later, he saw Ash come out of the door from the stairs, clutching his brand new pokeball. Paul allowed himself a chuckle. He wondered how Ash liked his electric rodent.

As expected, the kid spotted him in no time, and raced up the bleachers to join him. "Hi," he greeted.

"Do you like your new Pokemon?" Paul asked plainly.

Ash was about to answer, but he was distracted by the ball in his hand. It had begun to shake and quiver, even capturing Paul's attention. Pokeballs did not usually do that.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and the Pikachu erupted from its pokeball. "Pika!" it cried angrily.

Ash dropped down on the bleachers, exasperated. "That's the third time he's done that," he groaned. "I've had the thing for seven minutes and it already hates me." The creatures red cheeks began sparking, and Ash hurriedly corrected himself. "_He,_ it's a he. You don't have to barbecue me for that!"

"He got out of his pokeball all by himself," Paul noted. "I've never seen a Pokemon do that before."

"Did you know this was what I was getting?" Ash demanded.

The older man turned to the arena and smirked. "I had a vague idea."

His friend grumbled something unintelligible and folded his arms. He stared heatedly at the arena before him, his new Pokemon scampering up and down the bleachers curiously, before succumbing to the silence. "When will they start?"

"Whenever the two decide the crowd is big enough," Paul responded. "They both like to put on a show."

Ash nodded. "I supposed a regular fistfight between those two wouldn't be too exciting. I've never seen either of them throw a punch."

Paul gave the younger boy a sideways glance. Now he sincerely hoped Ash pissed off Drew sometime soon.

Slowly, more and more people filled the small stadium. Jessie and James took a seat in the top corner. Roark found Gardenia and went to sit with her and Volkner. Candice eventually joined them, babbling about how excited she was. Paul closed his eyes, remembering the fights he'd had the Gym Leaders.

Gym Leader was code name for the one who oversaw the operations. There were thirty-two Gym Leaders in total, eight to each branch of the Company. It was a way of balancing out control. Sometimes other Leaders came and visited and gave seminars or stupid things like that. Paul had never attended one.

In order for you to complete your training and become a fully qualified agent, you had to fight at three of the Leaders in a Pokemon battle, a physical battle, and a battle of wits. They were rarely beaten, of course, but they were the ones who decided if you were ready to receive your title as an agent of the Company.

Actually, Paul now recalled, he himself had defeated Candice in all the rounds and Wake in two of the three fights. The only one he had lost to him was the physical battle, and really, who could blame him? Wake was enormous, strong, and immovable. Paul doubted _anyone_ could beat that man.

_Speak of the devil, there he is now._ Paul caught the Leader's eye and gave a small nod. Wake beamed in return and saluted him, taking his seat beside Fantina and Byron. Byron turned around to exchange a few words with his son, Roark, probably a joke from the way they started laughing.

Paul grimaced. His father never told him jokes. In fact, his father hated him. Paul was raised by Reggie, his older brother. Of course, when he died, Paul was all alone.

Thinking of family made the silent man glance over at Ash. The kid was exactly like his father. The Ketchums had been in the Company for ages. Ash was supposed to have been trained by his father, like every other Ketchum in the business, and probably would have become a superior agent in no time. Might've beaten all the Gym Leaders in the challenges they presented him with.

But the reigning Ketchum had long since vanished. Was he dead? No one was sure. Maybe he had been taken prisoner by their enemies. Worst case scenario: he had switched sides.

Ash, however, was certain his father had been killed, and as soon as he was a qualified agent, he was going to find the murderer.

Paul hadn't been close to Mr. Ketchum. In fact, the first he heard of the man was his disappearance. He had passed him in the halls, but that was all. He had just been another face at the Company. Paul was young then, only thirteen.

Riley was the one who found Paul, and brought him to the Company. Paul could see him now, his mysterious hat visible even from this distance. Riley was not an assassin, but a thief. He was a master at dodging security and cracking locks, and a kleptomaniac to boot. He had been breaking into Paul's father's house, and Paul had caught him. For some reason, the thief took pity on him, and brought him to Fantina.

And that was how Paul became a killer.

Abruptly, the stadium fell quiet. Paul rolled his eyes. "Finally," he muttered. He looked over at Ash, smirking when he saw how excited the teen was.

Drew and Gary made their ways to opposite ends of the arena, Drew with his cool swagger and Gary in a proud strut. They turned around in synchronization, smug expressions on both their faces.

"Still on for the bet, Oak?" Drew called. "Last chance to back out."

Gary smiled and tossed his pokeball in the air. "What's the matter, Hayden?" he replied. "Chicken?"

His adversary's smirk turned into an evil grin. "Go!" he shouted, hurling his pokeball. "Roserade!"

"Show us what you've got, Blastoise!" Gary yelled.

"Oh God," Paul said.

"What?" Ash demanded. "What's 'oh God'?"

Paul shook his head and gestured to Drew and his Roserade. "Those two aren't bred for battles. He's going to make this whole thing look as pretty as he can."

"Roserade, use Magical Leaf!" Drew commanded.

"Blastoise, Withdraw!" Gary countered.

The green creature spun around, and dozens of glowing green leaves appeared, slicing at Blastoise's hard shell but not doing any damage.

"Now Blastoise," called Gary, "Hydro Pump!"

The cannons on the great turtle's back exploded with an almighty blast of water. Ash gasped. "Whoa," he whispered. "That is the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"Not until you see Hydro Cannon," Paul replied stonily.

The attack hit Roserade full force, but it did not affect it as badly as Ash had expected. "Now, Roserade!" Drew yelled. "Stun Spore!"

Roserade looked to the heavens, emitting a strange pollen powder. It drizzled onto Gary's Blastoise, and the great turtle ceased to move.

"Frenzy Plant!" cried Drew.

"Blastoise, use Rapid Spin!"

But Gary's Pokemon was unable to move, and the vines that exploded out of the ground hit it mercilessly. Ash had never seen such a spectacular event. Blastoise was catapulted off the ground and juggled for a little bit. Clearly, Drew was enjoying this. His Roserade was tiring, though, and the vines were soon retracted.

"Blastoise!" Gary cried in panic. The crowd was cheering Drew's name, and he gave them a flip of his hair, causing many of the ladies to melt. However, he did not see Gary's Pokemon jerkily moving about. But his Trainer did. Gary's grin was unrivaled. "Now, Hydro Cannon!"

_Here we go,_ thought Paul.

The glow of Blastoise's cannon sent the tension in the crowd up several notches, enough for Drew to turn and see what they were so anxious about. His proud expression quickly turned to one of horror. "Quick, Roserade, _move!_"

The exhausted leaf Pokemon lifted its petals as if they weighed a hundred pounds, and leapt ungracefully out of the way. There wasn't time for Blastoise to re-aim, and the attack fired where Roserade used to be.

Much to everyone's amusement, it was also where Drew happened to be standing.

Drew was fired backwards, landing hard on the ground. He sputtered and choked, his hair now plastered to his face. He was now sopping wet and _very_ angry.

Despite having knocked the opposing Trainer to kingdom come, the Hydro Cannon attack had taken its toll on Blastoise, and the Pokemon fainted from exhaustion. Gary was not nearly as dismal as Paul had expected him to be, but it could have been because of Drew's condition.

"You will pay for that, Oak," Drew growled as the two shook hands.

Gary was fighting off laughter. "You're getting my money; what more do you want?"

Paul reclined back into the bleachers. He hadn't realized he had been leaning forwards with the intensity of the match, and now felt slightly embarrassed at losing his calm and disinterested demeanor.

Ash, on the other end of the spectrum, was so thrilled that words escaped him. "That was… it just… oh my… wow," he said breathlessly. "Right Pikachu?"

"Cha!" the mouse replied. The look on his face was one of pure envy. Paul had never seen such an intelligent Pokemon. He liked to pride himself on the fact that his Torterra and Magmortar were smarter than regular Pokemon, and seemed to understand him better than most, but it looked like this creature of Ash's could speak English if it wanted to.

Paul decided that with a little bit of training, the hybrid animal would be devastatingly powerful, and something that strong would attract a lot of attention. Ash's life was going to get very exciting.

* * *

"What kind of person starts school on a Friday?" Misty wondered. She was lying on Dawn's bed, tossing her volleyball in the air as she stared at the ceiling.

"Oh you are _not_ still talking about him, are you?" Dawn said with exasperation. She examined her freshly painted nails, blowing on them to get them to dry faster.

Leaf and May were locked in an epic battle of Egyptian War. The two watched the cards intently, waiting for a pair, a sandwich, a face card, anything. "He's very nice," Leaf said. She hissed as May slapped the pile before she did, claiming the cards for herself.

"Yeah," Misty agreed. "He could hook you up with Gary if you asked, I bet."

The girl slapped down on the pile of cards a little harder than she'd intended, crushing May's hand in the process. "Which I wouldn't," she told them.

The other three laughed at her. "So we'll have to step in then," Dawn said. She began to apply a second coat of nail polish.

"He's really cool, though," Misty continued. "Ash, I mean. And his brother is just about the hottest guy I've ever seen." She turned to look at her friends. "He had green hair. _Green._ And, believe it or not, it looked _good._"

May abruptly blushed scarlet. "Was his name Drew?" she asked quietly.

Dawn gasped, dropping her polish brush. "Uh oh. The only time May ever blushes like that is when a crush is involved." She crawled over to her, leaning extremely close to her face. "Do you have a thing for the older Ketchum?" she whispered.

"N-no!" May insisted. "I just met him in the parking lot because he has a nice car and—."

There was a group eye roll and forehead smack. "There's a nice car involved," Misty said with exasperation.

"And a cute guy," Leaf added, although she hadn't met the man.

"May's in love," they agreed.

May scowled and flipped out her four cards onto the ace that was topping the pile. "How come every time I meet a guy with a nice car, you assume I'm in love?" she snapped. Her mood only worsened when she did not pull out a face card, and Leaf got the pile. "I do not fall for every guy who lets me ride in their '68 Fastback."

"He let you ride in his car?" cried Dawn.

"No! I mean, well, he was going to let me look under the hood—."

"Ooh!" the other three said, as if something kinky had just been mentioned.

May's face just got redder. "It's not like that! Jeez, if this is the way you guys are going to treat me, I just won't talk anymore." She huffily turned back to the card game and victoriously won Leaf's jack.

"We're just teasing, May," Misty said, laughing at her friend's embarrassment. "It doesn't help that we all know how you'd like to lose it."

May looked away from her game and lost her fury long enough to look confused. "Lose what?"

Leaf rolled her eyes. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't talk about this," she said edgily.

"What?" May asked. "I'm confused. What are we talking about?"

"I'll tell you how I'd like to lose mine," Dawn said with a cheeky grin. She crossed her legs, getting into her storytelling position. "We would be in Vegas," she began, "and we would stay in the Venetian, in a room on the top floor. The city would be alive outside the window, and everything would just be romantic and perfect."

"Vegas?" Leaf said with disgust. She flipped out another card. "I can't believe I count you amongst my best friends."

"Well, where would you do it?" she replied, offended.

Leaf blushed. "I don't think about that stuff," she said quietly.

"Everyone thinks about that stuff, now tell us!" Dawn pressed.

When it became clear she wasn't going to talk, Misty gave an embarrassed grin and shared her ideal place. "On a beach," she said, keeping her eyes on the floor. "During the sunset. With no one else around."

There was silence, and Misty's blushed steadily deepened. Leaf finally broke the quiet by slapping the pile and winning herself some cards. "At least yours is romantic," she said. "Unlike Dawn's."

"You would like to do it in Gary's lab," retorted Dawn. "Don't go making fun of my fantasy."

"I would not!" Leaf replied indignantly. While Dawn continued to smirk, Leaf snorted furiously and waved an angry arm at May. "Well, if you're so good at guessing these things, what's _her_ fantasy?"

"Oh, oh, I know this," Misty said, giggling. She sat up and cleared her throat, closing her eyes to make it more dreamlike. "You would drive for hours in his classic car, preferably a '57 Chevy," she began in a sarcastically mystical tone, "and come to a stop in the woods, perhaps by a lake. You would crawl into the backseat, lay on the white leather, and with nothing but the warm summer air as your blanket, you two would make love like two teenagers in the back of a car."

May and Leaf gaped at Misty, while she and Dawn howled with laughter. "That is so spot on!" Dawn laughed.

"It is not!" Leaf spat defensively. She turned to May. "Is it?"

Biting her lip, May turned back to the card game. Leaf could practically feel the heat radiating off her face.

Leaf's hand came to her mouth in a horrified gasp. "It _is_…" she breathed. Suddenly, the temptation was too much, even for Leaf. Blinking curiously, she leaned forward. "Would he have green hair?"

May threw her cards in Leaf's face. "I thought you were on my side!" she cried.

The other three started cackling with laughter, teasing one another about their fantasies. Eventually, May gave up being innocent and joined in, poking fun at Misty and Dawn especially.

It seemed that in one day, they all had found their ideal men.

***So, this chapter is the reason for the T rating. That and the parties. Let's face it: it's high school, and they do things they shouldn't. I don't condone this, I just tell it like it is. Hopefully this doesn't offend anyone. After all, there are some PG 13 movies that are waaaay worse than this. Amber Ice Fox thought it was fine, so... must be fine.***


	4. Chapter 4

_Four_

Ash was up in the workout room. He had long since abandoned his shirt and taken to beating up the punching bag wearing nothing but his sweat and shorts. And he was _fast._ So fast, in fact, that he was drawing quite a crowd outside the glass that separated the workout room from the hallway.

He would never say it out loud, but he thoroughly enjoyed the attention, and it only made him perform better. It also, unfortunately, made his confidence go up much higher than it needed to.

So when he saw Drew had joined the crowd, he took a break from his punching and gestured to his friend. Drew, with an arched eyebrow, pointed to himself, as if wondering if Ash meant him. Ash nodded, beckoning him inside. Drew chuckled on the other side of the glass, and turned around to find Paul.

"Hey," he called to the solemn assassin. Paul looked up in response. "He wants to fight me. Want to ref?"

If Paul had ever looked excited before this moment, Drew would have shaved his head. To his ultimate surprise, Paul nodded with—oh God, _enthusiasm?_—and followed him into the workout room.

The room stank of sweat and sounded of the grunts of other men training. Most of the equipment was on the other side of room, providing a large open space of floor mats in front of the glass so everyone could observe the mock fights that went on. It was great for getting noticed and/or publicly humiliated.

"First one down for ten seconds loses," Paul said in his murmuring voice. Ash gave his hair a flip, sending a few droplets of sweat onto the mat. He had a ridiculously cocky grin plastered to his face. Drew removed his jacket. His eyes were not confident, but worried. Ash had to snicker at his friend's fright. "Ready," Paul started, "go."

Ash didn't even get to throw a punch. He was on his back and seeing stars in a heartbeat. "Are you okay?" Drew said, appearing above him.

Not about to let Paul reach ten, Ash jumped to his feet. His ears were ringing. "Yeah," he replied, shaking his head to clear it. "I'm fine. Let's go again."

This time, Ash's fist got within a few inches of Drew's body before it was grabbed and used to throw him over Drew's head. Ash managed to roll into his landing, ending up on his feet. He hadn't expected Drew to be this fast.

"Karate?" he guessed.

"And kung fu," Drew answered. "With a bit of jiu jitsu and tae kwon doe."

Ash nodded. "All three major Asian countries, I see."

Drew smiled. "You know your history." His leg came up so fast that Ash didn't even see it. All he knew was that there was now a sharp pain in his jaw and his nose was bleeding. "Rule number one of all martial arts," Drew said. He was hopping back and forth excitedly. "Never let your guard down."

Ash wiped the blood off his face. "Okay." He dodged Drew's next kick and actually managed to grab it. "What do I do now?" he cried. He had a leg, but what was he supposed to do with it?

His friend grinned. "Normally you would try and take out the other leg, or hold them immobile while you went for the torso, but—." Drew jumped in the air, spinning so his leg broke out of Ash's grip and knocked him down to the ground. "This isn't normal, is it?"

"You're cruel," Ash snapped.

"Come on, Ash," Paul called. "Show him what you've got."

Ash shot Paul a glare before getting to his feet. "He likes to see you beat me, doesn't he?"

Drew grinned. "So do all of them." He jerked his head towards the people behind the glass.

Expecting another attack while he was distracted, Ash turned to look, but blocked Drew's leg with his forearm. "Ah ha!" he cried, turning to give him a victorious expression. Instead, a fist rammed him in the face, and down he went.

Besides the lights and the stars, the only thing Ash saw was Drew's face leaning over him. "You did good, kid," he complemented, though his voice echoed strangely. "Although I now owe Gary lunch."

Ash did not understand any of this. He was too dazed, and couldn't even consider getting up until Paul came and helped him. "That was the most entertaining thing I've seen in years," he said, his voice echoing as well. "I've been trying to get Drew to beat the hell out of Gary, but he never will." He clapped Ash on the back, sending him into another daze. "Thank you for providing me with a thoroughly amusing fight. Now let's get you to the infirmary."

As Paul guided him down hall after hall, only one thing made sense to Ash. He was beat up, and his mom would freak if she knew. "Hey," he said weakly, "please don't tell my mom."

Was it his imagination, or did Paul chuckle?

* * *

With cotton up his nose and his eye turning purple, Ash met up with the Gary and Drew in their usual room. "Hey," he greeted.

Gary let out a victorious laugh. "Yes! I knew it! A bloody nose and one black eye, in over three rounds. Lunch tomorrow, got it, Drew?" he threatened.

Drew rolled his eyes. He was sitting in one of the chairs, his feet up on the table. "I only did that because I felt bad for taking your money," he said. "I could have very easily won this one, you know."

"And I _still_ won!" Gary cried. "You're going to get me the most expensive thing on the menu."

"You sound like a bitchy girlfriend," replied Drew.

"Speaking of bitchy girlfriends," Ash interrupted, taking the seat next to Drew, "where is Paul?"

Gary shrugged. "I think he's taking the heat for bringing in a target. Or interrogating the guy. I'm not sure which."

"Why were we supposed to kill him, anyways?" Ash questioned.

Drew rapped his hands across the metal table. "He was designing weapons for our enemies. And providing them with funds. So we had to shoot him."

"Well, now he's our prisoner, so maybe we can squeeze some information out of him," Gary said. He took the seat across from Ash.

Ash nodded. He had never truly understood it before, but their enemies seemed to be everywhere and anonymous. He understood he was the "secret weapon," but against what, he was at a loss.

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "I just remembered. Yesterday, you smelled like vinegar, Gary."

Gary blanched. "I what?"

Drew cast him a suspicious look. "You know, now that I think of it, you _did_ stink."

"Did one of your experiments go wrong?" pressed Ash.

Gary was fumbling. "Uh, well, yes, it did, actually, and—."

"Or did something," Ash suggested, "distract you?"

The young man swallowed nervously. "I, uh, can't remember," he said.

Ash glanced around. "Does Drew's hair ring any bells?"

Drew snickered at this. "My hair made you spill vinegar on your pants?"

Blushing, Gary glared at Ash. "If you're talking about Leaf—."

For the second time, Gary was cut off, but this time it was by Drew. "Whoa, wait a second," Drew said. "_Leaf?_ Her again?"

Excited that there was information he didn't know, Ash scooted his chair closer. "What do you mean, again?" he asked. The two ignored Gary's abrupt interjections as he tried to stop Drew.

"He was mooning over her all last year," Drew explained. "The professor found out, and bam, no more mention of Leaf. If he finds out you're still interested in her," he said to Gary, "you are in deep shit."

"I'm not interested in her!" Gary insisted. "She's in the class below me and means absolutely nothing to me."

Ash and Drew exchanged furtive looks. When Gary was looking the other way, Drew mouthed the words "Don't tell Paul" to Ash. This was something meant to be kept confidential.

Gary sighed and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "So," he said, "did anyone see the game last night?"

After a bit more chatting and a few bets as to when Paul would arrive, the stony faced Trainer came quietly in the door. His eyes were trained to the floor, and silently he took the empty seat at the table.

"Something wrong?" asked Ash.

"Something's always wrong," Paul retorted. He dropped a large yellow envelope on the table. "We've been put on reconnaissance."

The whole group groaned. "Recon?" Drew whined. "I hate recon!"

"_Nobody_ likes recon," snapped Paul.

"Is it because we didn't shoot the guy?" Gary demanded.

Paul massaged his forehead in frustration. "I don't know, okay? All I know is that we're setting up a mission for someone else this time." He glanced up. "And that one of us has to be a woman."

The other three recoiled. "What?" they cried in unison.

"It's what it says," Paul said. He gestured to the envelope. "Check it yourself."

Gary snatched it up and pulled out the mission papers. "Dang, he's right," he said with mounting terror. He passed the papers on to Drew.

The green haired man took one look at the papers and grimaced. "I had to go in the sewer last time," he reminded them. "Someone else gets to be the woman." Ash took the papers from Drew's hands. Their target was David Rochester, a name Ash recognized from the news. He was a senator, or a governor, or some other important government person, and he had quite the reputation.

"I say the kid gets to be the girl," Paul suggested plainly. "After all, he needs the experience."

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

Gary was nodding. "I agree. Ash needs some real in-field practice."

"Jessie has plenty of wigs and dresses we could borrow," Drew remembered.

"We're dressing _me_ up as a woman?" Ash cried. He stared at the papers in horror. "What kind of mission is this?"

"It's the kind they assign you when they want to bring you even lower than you already are," Paul told him.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Yes, I noticed that much, but where could we possibly be going that would require a woman when there are none present?"

"An anti-gay rally?" Drew suggested. His comment was met with glares meant to put the dead back in their coffins. He shrunk back. "Sorry."

Paul accepted the papers back from Ash and proceeded to go over them. "Ah," he said. "We need info out of this one guy, and he's such a player that he'll only talk to women at parties."

"Info about what?" questioned Drew.

"How much he knows on shipments of weaponry we heard rumors of going overseas," answered Paul.

"Is this tonight?" Ash asked.

"Yep," Gary answered simply. "I suggest you go shave your legs and get your nails done."

Ash looked like a kicked puppy. "Will the hair come back by Monday?" he said pleadingly.

"We're not the right people to ask," Drew replied.

The young boy allowed his head to fall on the table. "This is terrible," he moaned. "Can I just wear a really long dress?"

"Whatever," Paul said dismissively. "Just be a woman by eight." With that, he stood and left the room.

The remaining three stared at the door Paul had just stormed through for a long time. Finally, Drew sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll go find Jessie," he offered. He left the room in a much gentler fashion.

* * *

The resulting figure was quite convincing. Ash's messy black hair was now concealed with a frivolous blond wig that cascaded to the curve (yes, he had _curves_) of his back. Two halves of a gator ball sufficed for his breasts, kept in place by a very lacy bra and a sparkling black dress. The dress only reached his knees, revealing smooth, hairless calves. His black eye had been successfully covered in makeup, much to his dismay.

"You know," Gary remarked, "we're very lucky puberty hasn't really taken its toll on you yet. I mean, can you imagine if he had facial hair?"

"Or a hairy chest?" Drew supplied.

Ash scowled. "I hate you guys."

Jessie smacked him with her fan. "Don't do that, you'll give yourself wrinkles," she scolded.

With a sneer, he stuck his tongue out at her. "I don't care, I'm a _man._"

Drew snickered. "Not anymore."

Ash wobbled over to the green haired man, uncoordinated in his high heels. "I _will_ kill you," he said fiercely.

"Ash, even your Pokemon is laughing at you," Gary told him.

Sure enough, Pikachu was rolling around on the floor, laughing in cute little "Pika pika chaaa!" Ash scowled ferociously at the yellow mouse, but it paid him no mind.

"I can't wait for you to go and flirt with this guy," admitted Drew. "It's going to be absolutely priceless."

"Make sure you shake your ass when you walk," instructed Gary.

Jessie glared at him. "Women do _not_ shake their asses when they walk!" she said indignantly. "Now go get Paul before I kick yours."

Gary gave her a nonchalant expression that she didn't see, and left to go find their assassin.

Ash lifted up the hem of the dress and stared at his feet. "How does anyone walk in these things?" he cried, frustration making his voice crack. "And wearing a dress is just plain weird." He adjusted the jacket he was wearing in order to cover his arm hair.

"Look," Jessie commanded, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Walk normally. Or on the balls of your feet. Whichever you're more comfortable with." She shot a glare at Drew. "Help him. I've got to get back to James."

Drew raised an eyebrow, his expression coy. "Yes, don't keep him waiting," he encouraged.

Jessie's expression had death written all over it. She marched out of the room, her nose in the air.

As she left, Paul and Gary reentered. Paul had a black suit draped over his arm, which he promptly threw at Drew. Drew hadn't been expecting it, and he fumbled to get it off his head. "What was that for?" he snapped.

"You're Ashley's date," Paul reported, pointing at Ash. "Get dressed."

"Why _me?_" Drew cried. "I was in the sewer last time! Don't I get a break?"

"Fine," said Paul. "The next two missions, you get a break. Now get dressed."

Drew looked as if he wanted to argue more, but he surrendered. There was no other voice when Paul the dictator said it was so. With a final glower at the man behind his misery, Drew stripped down to his boxers and changed into the tuxedo.

"Oh, _very_ handsome," Ash commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

His upper lip curled in a snarl. Drew certainly looked _good_ in the suit, but it was not his style. (Everyone, take a minute to close your eyes and picture our nineteen-year-old Drew in his dashing tux, chiseled muscles visible even through the white undershirt of the suit, and his green hair resting lightly atop his handsome face. Yes, it's _very_ sexy.) "Next time," he said slowly, but he was at a loss for a threat. Instead, he glared at Paul and Gary. "You two will get it good."

"This has got to be the best weekend I've ever had," Gary said happily. He pulled out a camera. "Cheese!"

Both Drew and Ash were unprepared, and Gary's photo consisted of the two staring at the camera in shock. Ash blinked in the flash. "Did you just take a picture?" he demanded.

Gary leaned over to Paul, showing him the image on his digital camera. "Don't they look perfect together?" he queried.

"A match made in heaven," agreed Paul.

"If that picture goes _anywhere,_" Drew threatened, "I'll—."

"Go kung fu on my ass?" Gary guessed. He chuckled softly. "Hello Facebook," he said, pressing a button on the camera.

Drew glared, but knowing Gary was just fooling around, he remained where he was. "Can we just get this over with?" he sighed.

Paul checked his watch. "I suppose," he conceded. "Shame. I really was enjoying this."

The limousine drive to the party (in which Paul was the driver and Gary relaxed on the limo's long seats) consisted of muttered complaints from the two lovers. Paul had a silent ride thanks to the plastic that separated the driver from his passengers, but Gary had just about had it with Ash and Drew. They _would not shut up._

Paul pulled up to the hotel, where the party was taking place. A bunch of government officials were being dropped off with beautiful women on their arms. They all seemed to know each other, making the usually fearless and stony man a little uneasy. It wasn't a celebrity party, so the paparazzi wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but there were still valets waiting at the entrance, and two men standing at the door. They were checking names off their clipboards as more people filed through.

Gary had to shove the happy couple out the door of the limo, so reluctant they were to leave. "See you in two hours," he said, and he slammed the door shut.

Drew exchanged a look with Ash. "Ladies first," he said politely, gesturing towards the entrance.

"I will bitch slap you to all the way back to your green headed ancestors," Ash muttered.

Drew had to grin. "Well, you're running the show this time, kid. Good luck getting info out of the guy. Your bug is on, right?" Ash nodded, fingering the microphone hidden in his breasts. They passed through the doors and, much to their surprise, the men with the clipboards hardly gave them a second glance. The instant they were inside, Drew began to crane his neck in search of the bar. "Well, in the meantime," he said, "I'm going to get a drink to get over the fact that _you_ are my date."

Ash was about to be offended by the question and come back with a snappy retort, but when he turned to say it, Drew was gone.

Panic set in immediately. What was he supposed to say to David Rochester? How was he to get the information out? What if he tripped in the ridiculous shoes he was wearing? How did girls recover from those kinds of things?

Worry gripped him again as he recalled every clumsy-girl chick flick his mom had ever dragged him to see: they didn't.

He was alone in a crowd of people he didn't know, dressed as something he was certainly _not_, and had two hours to get the proper information out of a guy who would probably just try to get in his pants.

Wait. He wasn't wearing any pants.

The reminder that he was practically naked just tipped his cup of worries. Fear coursed through him; there was no way he could do this. He had to find a phone, call Paul, and tell him he couldn't go through with this…

"Hey, Blondie!"

Ash shook his head. Some poor girl was getting summoned by a masochistic pig. He felt bad for the girl.

"You in the jacket!"

Ash looked around for a girl in a jacket. Maybe he could save her from the creepy guy. He laughed a little, thinking how stupid it was that he automatically assumed the guy was a creep. He was starting to think like a girl.

Wait… there weren't any other girls wearing jackets. In fact, Ash was the only person he could see wearing a jacket. The creepy pig was talking to _him._

Slowly, Ash turned around. "Y-yes?" he squeaked, hoping it was a girly voice.

The man lowered his sunglasses. "C'mere, Blondie," he beckoned. He had a girl on each arm, and both were cooing at him and batting their eyes far too much. In one of his hands, he held some alcoholic beverage of unknown substances.

Wringing his hands, our young agent traipsed over to the man, recognizing him as the target. David Rochester. "H-hi," he said nervously.

David Rochester smiled, tongue in cheek. "You're pretty cute," he remarked.

Ash went very red in the face, and it wasn't out of embarrassment. "Thanks," he said edgily.

The man grinned at Ash, and turned to each of the ladies on his arms and murmured in their ears. They rolled their eyes, glared at Ash, and walked away. "Now that we're alone," he said, still smiling, "tell me a little about yourself."

Aw crap. What was he supposed to say to get the right information out of this guy? "I'm from overseas," he started, twirling his hair.

"Really?" he replied, taking a drink of whatever was in his hand. "I just sent a shipment overseas, to France."

"Oh my gosh that's where I'm from!" Ash cried girly-ly. "What were you shipping?"

He shrugged. Somehow, Ash was getting the vibe that the drink was a little too strong. "Some weapons hidden in statues to the Louvre," he said nonchalantly. "It was a pretty brilliant idea, if I do say so myself." At this, he seemed to swell with pride.

Ash couldn't believe how easy it had been. The guy had spilled everything without so much as a flash of cleavage. It was no wonder America was collapsing if these were the kind of people running it.

"That _is_ a good idea," Ash agreed flirtingly. "Why did France need these weapons? I thought we were a peaceful country."

"Well," said David Rochester, swaying slightly, "my buddy, who is a high ranking official in France, said they found German spies in their government, so they were going for a preemptive strike."

He gaped. This was World War III in the making. "Those bloody Germans," Ash swore. Only too late did he remember that that was a British curse and not a French one. "When were these weapons supposed to arrive? I should make sure I cancel my return trip if I want to stay out of the crossfire."

David Rochester belched and took another swig of his drink. "Uh… I think they're supposed to arrive—_hic!_—by next week. Won't that be nice?"

This was all too easy. What was this guy drinking? "It will," Ash said with a smile. "Oh, drat, is that the time? I really must go. It was very nice talking to you." He started to sidle away.

"Hey, you can't come talk to me and not give me anything in return!" cried David Rochester.

Ash hesitated, fearing the worst. "Like…?" he said slowly.

David Rochester stumbled up to Ash, and he could smell the alcohol on his breath. It occurred to him that he was far too young to be at this party, considering he was only seventeen and quite a few years below the drinking age. "Like a bit of action in one of the rooms upstairs, if ya know what I mean," he slurred.

The first rule the Company teaches is never blow your cover. The second rule is, whatever the situation, _don't panic._ Panicking could lead to breaking rule number one.

Ash decided that this was the one exception to rule number two.

"Oh gawd," Ash said, his voice strangled. His knees went a little wobbly, and he turned on his heels and marched away from David Rochester. He teetered in the high heels, and the restriction the dress had on his legs prevented him from going much faster. "Gary, I _know_ you can hear me, so you'd better get me the hell outta here."

The bug was one way, so he didn't hear Gary's malevolent cackling at his predicament.

He continued his speed-hobble, searching desperately for Drew, or perhaps the ladies' room. The latter was based on how much dignity he still had.

David Rochester was following him. Ash could hear his slurred words through the crowds, beckoning the girl in the jacket to come back. He had never been so terrified.

* * *

Drew sat at the bar, enjoying his drink. He couldn't really remember what it was, but that didn't matter. It was good, and the bartender was listening to his troubles.

"…he's just so annoying, you know?" he complained, taking a sip of his drink. "I mean, Gary thinks he's all high and mighty because he's got _two_ Pokemon, but I could beat both of them in one hit."

The bartender just nodded and continued polishing glasses. It was a high end bar, in which the bartender wore a tux and mixed drinks with stainless steel equipment. There was no beer here, only aristocratic liquor.

Drew ran his hand through his hair, eyelids fluttering. He wasn't drunk, but he was certainly exhausted. He couldn't wait to get back home and sleep.

"And he's the professor's grandson," he continued in a mumbling voice. He leaned on his elbow and rapped his fingers across the counter. "There's no way I could ever measure up to him."

"You know," the bartender said, leaning across the bar to talk to him, "you are the first man I've ever had come up to me and not complain about lady troubles." He paused. "Are you gay?"

Drew chortled with laughter. "No," he snickered, shaking his head. "Just jealous of my friends, I suppose." He turned around to observe the party around him.

At that precise moment, Ash was getting advanced upon by David Rochester. The sight of this caused Drew to spit out his drink. The bartender looked at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

Drew did not answer. He wiped his mouth, set the glass on the bar, and immediately pushed his way through the crowd to get to Ash. _Oh,_ he thought. _So _this _is what I'm here for._

"Excuse me," he said coolly, coming up beside the frantic and fleeing Ash and halting him in his tracks. "Is this man bothering you, darling?"

Ash's expression was a mix of rage and relief. "Yes," he said, girly-fying his voice. "Drew-bee, baby, make him leave me alone."

He sneered at her—oops, him. "Sure thing, toots," he growled. With that, he turned to the staggering David Rochester. "I must ask you to leave my girlfriend alone."

David Rochester stared at him in shock. "I beg your pardon? Do you know who I am?"

"You're a slobbering drunk who is hitting on my girlfriend, and she doesn't like it," Drew replied. Abruptly, he grabbed Ash by the wrist. "C'mon, Ashley, let's get out of here."

He and Ash, looking rather dignified, left the stupefied David Rochester standing in the midst of the party with a drunken gape on his face.

* * *

"But honey, it's hot!" cried Delia.

"I don't care, Mom," Ash snapped, waving her away. "I'm not wearing shorts until my leg hair grows back."

Delia glared at her son and put her hands on her hips. The pair of his shorts she was holding added to the intimidating effect. "Shaved legs are attractive, sweetheart. It's about time you realized that."

"It's attractive for _girls_," he replied. "On men it's just gay."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Wear a chicken suit. See if I care."

Ash's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, Mom," he called. "You know I don't mean it like that!"

"Oh sure," she replied.

He sighed. He hated to make his mother upset (even over something as stupid as shorts) but he was _not_ going to school with shaved legs. Never ever.

Ash found his green shirt under a pile of clothes he was yet to hang. He slipped it on, ran a brush through his unruly black hair, and headed out the door.

Drew was driving him to school today. Ash couldn't wait until he got his license. Most of the money he got from the Company went towards buying a house and Cable. What little he had managed to scrimmage together was slowly amounting to the price of a decent car. Once he had said car, he could test for his license and then not have to be chauffeured around like a little kid.

He stepped down the stairs and saw Drew fixing his hair in the mirror of his convertible. Ash sighed. Day two of high school.

"Jeans?" Drew observed as Ash got in the passenger seat. "It's gonna be a scorcher."

"Don't I know it," Ash muttered. He dropped his backpack in the backseat and huffily folded his arms. "Let's go."

Drew shrugged and started the motor. He grinned unexpectedly, as if laughing at some inside joke with himself.

Ash was instantly curious. "What?" he asked.

"Just some girl I met," Drew explained vaguely.

***AN: So I figured you guys deserved an update for Halloween, and because earlier today (well, yesterday, I suppose) I swam a 6:13.75 in my 500 free. I don't care if you swim or not you should be proud of me! I dropped TEN seconds! Woot! And if you happen to swim and have a better time than that in the 500, keep it to yourself. I am as happy as can be right now cuz I beat that mean girl on the other team and dropped TEN FRICKIN SECONDS. **

**Does anyone else swim competitively? Just curious, ya know, cuz when I make Nationals (which won't happen, but I can dream) I want you all to know who I am. Later, folks. Happy Halloween!*  
**


	5. Chapter 5

_Five_

"What is," Mr. Marks began, "a gerund?"

Ash and Misty slumped in their seats, bored. Misty scribbled something down on her paper and slid it over to Ash. He grabbed his pencil and thought of a reply.

They had been passing notes all period, and the paper was covered with scrawled messages. There was hardly any room to write his reply.

_What's your favorite band?_ Misty asked.

Ash tapped the pencil against his lip. This was indeed a tough question. He rolled his eyes and put down Jimmy Eat World.

Misty was visibly repulsed. _Ew, I hate them!_ she wrote. _They're terrible!_

Ash went defensive. _They're amazing, what the hell are you talking about? Best band ever._

_No,_ she argued, _Green Day is the best band ever._

_Green Day? _Ash questioned. _They're not all they're worked up to be._

_Are you freaking kidding me? They are the most amazing bunch of potheads the world has ever known. An international phenomenon!_

_So is Selena Gomez,_ he pointed out, snickering.

_Don't you _dare_ use that name in my presence. _Misty's writing darkened as she pressed harder into the paper. _My sisters play her nonstop, along with Lady Gaga and that Kesha crap._

_Sucks for you. :P _

Misty looked up from the paper and glared at his smirking face. "You're a douche, you know that?" she whispered.

Ash shrugged. "I try."

"Talking again?" Mr. Marks said darkly. He placed his hands on their table, casting an evil shadow on their written conversation.

"No sir," Ash assured him. "She was just explaining the use of gerunds to me on paper, so that we wouldn't interrupt your lecture."

Misty waited until Mr. Marks had turned around again before gaping at the boy next to her. He spun lies so easily. Like someone out of a movie.

* * *

Paul rubbed his eyes sleepily. He had spent the entire night doing the tedious work of someone much lower than him. His only company had been the man whose life he had spared, and based off of how much he talked, Paul was starting to regret his decision.

"…and she would not leave me alone, right? So I said to her…"

Paul groaned and allowed his head to fall on the computer desk. The man talked more than a teenage girl. He looked up at the monitor, wondering if he had a five o'clock shadow or not. The screen blinked numbers and words, the jumbled encoded message. With a sigh, Paul opened up the decoder and began feeding the message through.

His head ached painfully. It had been three hours too long of staring at the backlit screen, simply telling the artificial brain that this code went here and this one went there. It was not the work of an assassin as skilled as he was.

_Why_ couldn't he have just shot Mr. Chatterbox when he had the chance? Or let Ash shoot him? It would have saved them such a headache.

Paul shook himself. This headache was worth it if it saved a human life. As he continued to work, he reminded himself that over and over.

However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he hadn't saved a life, just postponed its ending.

* * *

The next few days, the only significant thing Ash did was train his new Pokemon. The tiny rodent was stubborn and had quite an attitude, but Ash was determined to break him. He shocked him repeatedly to show his dislike of his Trainer.

"I _know_ you don't like me, Pikachu, but come _on_, can't you try?" he asked him vainly.

"Pika," the mouse replied, and looked pointedly away.

Ash sighed. "Okay, then," he complied.

"Do you want some help?" Gary called.

"I can do this myself!" Ash yelled back.

Gary sauntered over, looking smug. "You really think that wimpy little thing is going to get strong?" he remarked. "I could step on it."

Ash fumed, and Pikachu's cheeks sparked.

"He's not weak," Ash retorted. "He's going to be the most powerful Pokemon the Company's got to offer."

Gary snorted. "I doubt it."

Pikachu's eyes narrowed, and suddenly Gary could not control his movements due to the voltage channeling through him.

Ash started laughing, as did all who were watching. "Might want to deflate your head a little bit, Gary."

* * *

"_No,_ Dawn," May said certainly. She scribbled down another answer in her Biology packet.

"Aw, why not?" she whined in response. "It's the biggest party that's ever going to happen anywhere. And it's at Salvia's house." Her eyes glinted mischievously. "I bet Ash could hook us up with some hot dates."

May dropped her pencil, her face flushing. "I don't want a hot date and I _don't_ want to go to a party!" she insisted. "I've got a Subaru in the garage and it's gonna take me all weekend to fix."

"You mean you don't want to go to party with a certain green headed man?" Dawn asked in shock.

May reached down and grabbed her pencil. "Exactly."

Dawn shrugged. "Fine then."

The brunette wrote down another answer. She had been contemplating the name of Drew's car all week, and she didn't want to see him again until she came up with one. Suddenly eager, she began scanning through her Biology packet to find a name for the car. Words like _protozoan_ and _mitochondrion _jumped out at her, but she felt that naming the car after a Bio term would be doing it an injustice.

Annoyed, she plunged her hand into her backpack and pulled out _Pride and Prejudice,_ the stupid romance she was reading for English and thoroughly _not_ enjoying. All the names were old fashioned and lacked the sparkle she so desperately sought. She tossed the book away.

At that moment, she noticed Dawn's binder. The bubbly young girl had created a paper to sit on the cover of it, slid under the laminate sheet. It spelled out her name in flowery stenciled letters in an acrostic poem.

**D**etermined

**A**mazing

**W**orthwhile

**N**iding

No one was really sure what this last one meant, and whenever someone asked Dawn, she just smiled coyly and said it was "just a word." Leaf had looked it up once, and discovered it meant "infamous person." Why Dawn would want that on her binder is a mystery, but no one cared enough to solve it.

May ignored all this and grinned widely. An acrostic would be perfect! A bunch of awesome names spelling out another awesome name.

Except… she was hardly poetically talented. May allowed her head to slam on the desk. This was impossible. Extremely and ridiculously impossible. No good names came to mind.

She blew her hair out of her face. Maybe she _should _go to this party at Salvia's tonight. It might give her the inspiration she needed.

May sighed in defeat. "Dawn," she called, wincing. She was going to regret this. She just _knew_ it.

* * *

Drew had dropped Ash off at school for the third time that week, scanned the parking lot for the girl in the bandana, failed to see her, and left. It wasn't a big loss. He hadn't expected to run into her again.

So he did what he always did when he was bored. He went to Paul's house.

Drew just swung the door open, the music playing at a pleasant level. His shoes squeaked on the tile in the entryway. Paul poked his head around the corner. "Oh," he said. "Take your shoes off." And he disappeared.

Drew rolled his eyes and removed his sneakers. He stepped over to the carpet and went to where Paul's head had been.

Paul didn't have a house, technically, but an apartment. It was the perfect bachelor pad. There was an expensive stereo propped up on a sleek black shelf, the remote for which rested on the comfortable gray couch. Against the wall was a ridiculously large television, sitting on a stand that matched the shelf that held the stereo. Hidden in the cabinets of the TV stand was a computer tower. Paul had the wireless keyboard laying on the black coffee table, and the wireless mouse on the arm of the couch. The wall opposite the TV was entirely window.

Near the small, advanced kitchen was the black dining table. The walls were a soft blue, something Paul probably hadn't picked. Sure, he was rich, stylish, and had nice stuff, but he was lacking in imagination.

Paul had resumed what he had been doing, which was kneel at the coffee table with the stereo remote within arm's reach and complete his latest model ship. He had several of them on display throughout the apartment, ranging from yachts to 18th Century pirate ships. His current project looked like similar to the Titanic, though it was hardly half completed.

"Bored?" Drew asked lazily. He sat himself down on the couch and moved the mouse. The TV flicked on as if it were a giant monitor.

Paul sighed. "No, not really," he said.

"Cool," replied Drew. "I've been wanting to play sixty-four inch solitaire for a while now."

"Don't you have a little brother to bail out of trouble?" he questioned.

Drew _tsk_ed with disappointment. "Paul, I just got here. You could at least _act_ happy to see me." He feigned pity. "Oh yeah, that's right. You were the rock in the school play."

"You're hilarious," Paul grunted as he got to his feet. He made his way to the kitchen in socked feet.

Drew heard the fridge open, and the chinking of glasses. "I want a root beer float!" he called.

"And I want you gone, but we can't always get what we want," Paul replied. He reappeared and placed a glass bottle in Drew's hand. "Cheers."

"Ha ha," Drew laughed with sarcasm.

Paul _never_ touched alcohol. It drove Drew crazy. There was simply nothing to do in their tiny city except get drunk and go to strip joints. Paul only agreed to the latter.

Grudgingly, Drew took a sip of the soda. He once teased Paul about being a prude, but that resulted in a temporary "leave" for Drew without pay.

"So what's this?" he asked conversationally, gesturing to Paul's model.

"This, Drew," Paul began, "is, in common terms, called a boat. It's a fantastic device that drives on water, like a car drives on a—."

"God, you're annoying," Drew snapped. Paul smirked and went back to his hobby. His green haired friend sat back for a moment, clearly bored. Finally, he could not take it any longer. "Agh! Let's _do_ something, Paul. I'm bored and I came here to be entertained."

"Aw, I'm sorry, but you _just_ missed the show," Paul replied. Delicately, he set another piece in the hull of the ship. "I perform every day at five. Come see me then."

Drew blew his bangs out of his face. "There's a theater down the road," he observed, glaring at his friend. "Can we go see a movie?"

"You whine like a girl."

"You look like one."

"Ooh, ouch. Now get out."

Drew laughed. "Out of snappy retorts?"

"You're wasting my time," Paul said, rather snappily.

"Oh come on," Drew teased. "What do you do for fun?"

"This," replied Paul.

"Outside the realm of scale models," Drew clarified.

Paul sighed and stood up. He stepped around the coffee table over to the TV stand, opened the cupboard, and pulled out a video game controller. "Xbox," he said, waving the remote.

Drew arched an eyebrow, debating. "Halo?" he asked.

He nodded and tossed the remote to his suddenly eager friend.

* * *

"There's a party at Salvia's tonight," said the girl across the room.

"Someone bringing booze?" asked another kid.

"Gotcha covered!" someone called.

Misty blinked and turned to Leaf. "Party at Salvia's?" she asked.

Leaf sighed. "Unfortunately."

"And Dawn hasn't said a word about it?" Misty continued.

"Oh, she said a word," Leaf said. "Several words. She wants to go, and she's got us on leashes."

Misty looked thoughtful. "A party…" she trailed off.

Leaf looked up from her math and stared at her friend. "No. No way, Misty. I refuse."

"Hey, Ash is back from the bathroom. Ash!" she called, flagging him down.

The black haired boy sat down next to her. "Yeah?" he asked.

Misty grinned. "There's a party tonight at Salvia's. Wanna go?"

Ash blinked. "Salvia… the girl who looks exactly like Dawn but doesn't get near as much press coverage?"

"Yup, that's her," Leaf confirmed. Her tone was thick with distaste that anyone would go to a party at Salvia's house.

Ash shrugged. "Sure."

Leaf dropped her pencil. "What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, why not?" he asked.

She just shook her head and went back to her math.

"Don't mind Leaf," Misty said dismissively. "She's just being a prude."

"I am not a prude!" cried Leaf with disdain.

"Stick in the mud," confirmed her friend.

Leaf made a face. "It's not going to work this time," she told her.

Misty smirked at Ash. "Well then," she sighed, "guess we'll have fun without you."

Leaf shrugged forcibly and focused intently on a math problem. Her pencil scrawled across the page furiously, like a distraction that obviously wasn't working.

Ash grinned and winked at Misty. "Guess Gary will have to dance with his lab coat," he said sadly.

Leaf froze. "Gary is going?"

Ash shrugged. "It's very probable," he said.

The brunette narrowed her eyes at Ash, holding her pencil threateningly. "If he's going," she said dangerously, "then there is no way you're leaving me at home."

Ash nodded. "I'll make sure he comes, then."

* * *

"Absolutely not," said Paul.

"I wasn't talking to you," Ash snapped. He turned back to Gary. "So, what do you say?"

Gary was about to respond, but Paul answered first. "I say no," he said.

"Your opinion here doesn't matter," said Ash.

"I am in charge, Ketchum. I have to watch you all the time, and this party is not something I want to attend," Paul explained harshly. He had a hacky sack in his hands and was tossing it in the air. He relished in the crunchy squish it made every time he caught it. "You're not going."

"Leaf will be there," Ash told Gary, ignoring Paul.

"I said we're not going," growled the purple haired man.

Gary shook his head. "I'll get in trouble, remember? I can't be around Leaf. I'll…" He trailed off at Ash's expression.

"She wants you to come," said the younger boy.

Gary blinked. He stood abruptly. "I'm going to put on something… not nerdy." The boy whisked out of the room.

Ash turned to Paul and smirked. Paul glared at the hacky sack in his hands. "You keep undermining me, Ash, and you're going to regret it." He turned his fury to the door Gary had just exited. "And I thought we heard the last of that Leaf girl..."

"Oh, come off it, Paul, and loosen up!" Drew exclaimed. Paul and Ash stared at him in shock. "It's a party! Let's go have fun."

"Have either of you ever been to a high school party?" Paul asked.

Ash said "No" at the same time Drew said "Yes."

Paul shot Ash a scowl. "You don't know what you're getting into. You," he said, now focused on Drew, "know what we're getting into and can't seem to understand that it's _bad._"

"You don't _have_ to come," Ash offered.

Paul said nothing, only glared at his hacky sack.

"I want to come," Drew stated.

Paul shifted his glare from the toy to his friend. "You're supposed to be on my side," he said with irritation.

The green haired man shrugged in response. "I like parties," he said nonchalantly. "And there's a cute brunette in a bandana I'm hoping to see again."

Paul's anger was more evident than red ink on an essay. "I don't want to go," he said firmly.

"You need to get out more," Drew spat at him. "This is how we're going to do it. Or would you rather go build your replica of ole Ironsides?"

His eyes narrowed at the two of them, his hand crushing the hacky sack with aggression. "Fine," he said in a clipped tone.

"YES!" Ash cried, and he and Drew hi-fived.

* * *

Dawn, having finally finished priming and primping herself for the party, strolled out of the bathroom with her blue hair curled into sexy waves. Her skirt was too short, and her shirt dipped too low, and her heels were too high, but there was no denying she looked fabulous. All was perfect save her expression, which was one of utmost horror as she observed her three friends lounging about the living room.

"You guys are wearing _that_ to the party?" she cried in disgust.

"Yeah," said Misty. Her legs, clad in dark blue basketball shorts, were draped over the couch arm, swinging back and forth. Her t-shirt was less than flattering, hardly revealing her curves, and her hair was yanked back in a messy ponytail. To top it all off, she was wearing her old sneakers, the ones with the holes in the sides.

Dawn bristled at this. "You expect to impress Ash in _that?_" she said, bewildered.

Misty narrowed her eyes. "If he won't take me like this, he ain't gonna get me."

The blunette shook her head at the lost cause, and turned to May.

The sight was nearly as bad. May was wearing her usual shorts, red shirt, and flats. Her bandana wasn't on, but only because she was examining a grease stain she had managed to get on it. At least her shirt showed some curves. The brunette ran a hand through her hair, as if it were bothering her. May muttered something that sounded like "Grease monkey" but shook her head violently after she did so.

Leaf, at least, had the decency to dress outside her comfort zone. She wore modest heels and a pink skirt, along with a v-neck tee and light makeup, something the other two lacked. Her hair was done up nicely, though it seemed more formal than anything.

"Does this mean we're ready?" Dawn asked in exasperation.

The three exchanged glances. "Yup" "Pretty much" "I suppose" they said.

Dawn huffed angrily. "Wonderful," she said, and she led the way out the door.

May's car was once again the chariot, though she and Dawn bickered about the music again. Of course, the prospect of walking to the party in her shoes made the blunette concede pretty quickly.

"Fashionably late," Dawn said happily as they pulled up to Salvia's mansion. The party was in full swing, with lights flashing in the windows and music making the ground vibrate. The four girls trooped up to the front door, exchanging nervous smiles with each other.

"Hi!" Salvia greeted, looking like a princess in her beautiful gown and royally braided hair. She held the door open and bowed low. "Come in!"

They stepped across the threshold, Dawn receiving plenty of hoots and yells of welcome. She stepped across the floor like she owned the place, heading off to God knows where. Misty looked at May and Leaf blankly. "Huh," she said over the noise. "Wanna go get some food?"

"Yes!" May exclaimed. The two were gone before Leaf could even open her mouth, leaving the poor girl completely alone in an environment she was not accustomed to.

"I knew this would happen," she grumbled as she went to find a seat. "And they wonder why I hate parties."

* * *

"You look good," Drew remarked.

"Button up, you might catch a cold," Ash snapped in regard of Drew's shirt. He had the top three buttons undone, exposing his chest.

Drew shrugged. "It was only a compliment. So, who's driving?"

"I am not taking my car to a place where drunk, reckless teenagers can destroy it," Paul stated certainly.

"Then I'm driving," Ash offered.

"No," Gary said, pushing the eager rookie back. "We can take the van."

"Ain't no way I'm showing up to a party in that piece of junk," Drew said. "I'm driving. Everyone to the Drewmobile."

"Shotgun!" yelled Ash, only to be pulled back by Paul.

"When you outrank me, then you can ride shotgun," he said, taking the passenger seat.

Ash grumbled something incoherent and slouched in the back with Gary. Gary was infinitely happier than he was, despite the sparse remarks that riding backseat was "cramping my style."

"You have no style," Paul replied shortly.

Gary scowled in return. "I have plenty of style, thank you."

"Yeah, amongst other scientist geeks, sure," Ash said, snickering.

"You're a real crack up, you know that?" said the researcher.

"Don't encourage him," Drew cautioned. "He'll never stop."

Salvia's house, as it turned out, was the big mansion perched in the foothills that made the valley the city rested in. It was visible from all points within city limits, and rumored to be the summer home of Brad Pitt. Perhaps it was. Perhaps Salvia's parents were close friends with the elite of the nation. No one was sure.

And no one cared. All that mattered to the high school teenager was that they were rich, had a huge house, and threw kick-ass parties.

When the four stepped out of the car, they ignored all the stares and friendly shouts of "Hey!"

"I don't like this," Paul growled.

"You don't like anything," Drew responded. They stepped through the doorway and he pointed to the booze cart. "Look! Bud Light!"

"You're not even old enough to drink," said Paul.

Drew cast him a playful grin. "And when has that stopped me before?" he asked.

"Hey! There's Misty," Ash alerted them. He began to push his way through the throngs of people dancing to the obnoxious beat. Gary followed, eager to see Leaf.

"And there's my favorite brunette," Drew said. "I almost expected she'd be friends with Misty and Leaf." He glanced at Paul to see his reaction, only to find the man staring intensely across the room, opposite the direction Ash and Gary had just headed. "Paul? Something wrong?" he inquired.

Paul hesitated, narrowing his eyes. "I could have sworn I just saw…" He trailed off.

Drew blinked expectantly. "Saw who?"

He shook his head slightly and looked back to Drew, his expression still serious. "Nothing," he told him. "Come on. Let's go find the kid."

* * *

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed. "What's up?"

Ash shrugged in response. "Not much, Mist. How about you? Been here long?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

"It was boring till you got here," called Dawn. "_Now_ it's a party."

Misty spun around and punched her in the arm. "Go show off to people who actually want to see you," she snapped.

Dawn just smirked. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Paul!" she called, waving frantically. In a heartbeat she was at his side, already prattling about Lord knows what.

Ash blinked at Misty. "What was that about? The punching?"

"None of your business," she said huffily.

"But it was about me!" he protested. "That makes it very much my business."

"Who says 'very much' like that nowadays?"

"Oh, I forgot you're not a sophisticated woman."

"What did you just say?"

Drew appeared beside May, who was watching the argument escalate and looking as if she needed popcorn. "Is it just me, or does this seem really natural to you?" he asked her.

May nodded. "Like a married couple."

* * *

"…and so Mr. Owens chucked his marker at him!" Dawn concluded, giggling. "Isn't that hilarious, Paul? Paul? Are you even listening to me?"

Paul forced himself to look away from the moving body of people to the troublesome girl next to him. "Hm?"

She exhaled angrily. "Why don't you pay attention to me? You're _such_ a jerk!"

He hardly spared her a glance. "And you're more trouble than you're worth," he told her absently.

Dawn gaped at him, her hands going to her hips in her fury. "I am not trouble," she stuttered.

"Are you going to do this the whole time?" Paul asked edgily.

With her eyes narrowed, Dawn stuck her nose in the air. "Fine. I don't need your attention anyways. Every guy at this party would drop dead if I so much as looked at him."

"Good," he replied. "Go kill some poor sap and leave me in peace."

Dawn had had enough. She stalked away, fully intent on pestering Leaf and Gary until one of them paid her an acceptable amount of attention.

Paul watched the party unfold before him. Salvia's house was one to envy, with its glistening tile floors and exquisite artwork hanging on the walls. It reminded him of a movie set, possibly a murder mystery or something. He almost expected the eyes of the portrait to be moving.

He noted the wide marble staircase that led to the upper floors, littered with partygoers and stray plastic cups. People had draped themselves on the balcony railing, laughing with their friends or flirting with the cute someone that happened to be standing next to them. The host of the party, Salvia, was chatting happily with some guy. She kept twirling her hair and giggling nervously. He could only think of Dawn. The two looked exactly alike, and yet they were ridiculously different.

Drew had a plastic cup in his hand, which Paul knew contained some sort of alcohol. May was trying to talk to him, but her eyes kept drifting to the cup, as if she could not believe he was drinking it. Her cheeks kept a constant shade of red, and her feet shuffled nervously. Paul rolled his eyes. Some girls acted way too innocent.

Gary and Leaf were leaning against the wall, side by side. Gary had his nerd face on, making it clear to Paul what their conversation was about. He chuckled at the younger boy. Always, Gary had let them think he was such a suave player who happened to have a knack for computers. As it turned out, he was just a wannabe bad boy who was terrified of girls.

Ash and Misty had finished their argument and were currently sitting against the wall on the edge of the fun. Paul watched them laugh, point at someone in the crowd, and break down in cackles again. They obviously thought someone out there was funny. Misty was laughing so hard she was leaning on Ash's shoulder, clapping her hands. The sleeves of her overlarge sweater flopped back and forth as she did so, hiding her hands. Ash roared with laughter, spilling a bit of his drink.

Paul sighed. Ash was drinking. Of course. And now he was going to be responsible for anything that happened to him.

The stony man allowed his face to soften in a small smile. Well, maybe just this once, he could let everyone have their fun. He was even considering finding that troublesome girl again.

The time passed, and eventually Dawn found him again. This time, he did not shoo her away, and instead even graced her with a few nods and grunts.

Paul lost track of time. The music of the party was loud and annoying, but so was Dawn, and he was starting to find both tolerable. Drew had convinced May to try some of the beer, which she spat out with disgust on her face. "It's nasty!" he heard her say. "How can you drink that?"

Drew just chuckled and drained his cup.

"What's your favorite movie, Paul?" Dawn was asking. "Mine is _Back to the Future._ I think Michael J. Fox is an amazing actor. I also saw him in this really weird movie called _Mars Attacks_, which Leaf told me to watch. She said something about it being a Tim Burton movie and that I just _had_ to see it. Leaf has this weird obsession with Tim Burton; I'll never understand it. His movies are just too creepy, you know? Like _Sweeny Todd_. That was a creepy movie. But Johnny Depp can sing! I didn't know that, did you? Apparently he was first a…"

Paul decided that was more than enough dosage of Dawn for one hour. He tuned her out and went back to observing the people of the party. There was still mingling and senseless dancing, but on a more intoxicated scale. The guests were getting more reckless in their behavior, their conscience far behind them. He watched a few things break, a few guys get slapped, and a few drinks get spilt. It was thoroughly entertaining.

He scanned the crowd. Gary hadn't moved, as he was still chatting with Leaf. Drew and May were starting to bicker about the beer, which Paul could have cared less about. Now where was Ash…?

A bolt of panic shot through the assassin. Ash was nowhere to be seen, along with Misty. The two had dropped off the radar.

Finally, he spotted them, and sighed in relief. They were dancing like drunken idiots, but at least they were in his sight. Paul shook his head. While Dawn prattled away, he pulled out his phone.

_Leaving in 10. Enjoy while you can,_ he typed, and he sent this text to his three accomplices. One by one, he watched them receive the message and glare at it profusely. Ruining their fun was probably the best part of Paul's night.

***AN: So State was today and I decided to update for you guys! Our team cheer was awesome. Ready? "We've got spirit, we've got guts, we've got your team by the nuts! Pull team, pull!" Yes, we screamed that to the other teams.  
**

**I in no way condone underage drinking, though I fully intend to use it to my advantage in this story. Besides, it's what high schoolers do (according to Hollywood, which has been reliable thus far). Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! And worry not, pokeshippers! It will come!***


	6. Chapter 6

_Six_

Paul sighed as he stepped into his superior's office. A man with a fiery ball of red hair on his head relaxed in the large office chair that sat on the opposite side of the desk, which was his footrest. He adjusted the black leather vest he wore and fiddled with the chain around his neck. "Paul!" he greeted, sounding enthused. "Yo, man, what's up?"

"Flint," Paul said coldly. "You called."

Flint swiveled the chair slightly, grinning at Paul. "I'm all cooped up in here, man. I was thinking we could do a dual mission, you know, because I am bored out of my gourd. Ya get what I'm saying?"

Paul blinked with disinterest. "That's not why you called me here," he said plainly.

With an innocent smile, Flint removed his legs from the desk and sat up. "You know me too well, Paul," he said, smirking. "I called you because there's something wrong with the Ketchum kid."

"What could possibly be wrong with him," Paul wondered. His boredom was all too clear in his voice.

Flint winked, looking mischievous. "I think you know. He and Oak's boy are two of a kind. We have a strict no outside romance policy, as I'm sure you're aware. And those two are on a one way track to misery and job loss."

"Mere high school crushes," Paul replied dismissively. "They won't even last the year."

"Maybe…," Flint said in a teasing tone. "Maybe not."

Paul folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "Look, if there's anything wrong in my group, I'll take care of it, okay? They are not your concern, at least not at this level."

Like a Cheshire Cat, Flint smiled. "The four of you went to a party last week, am I correct?"

Suddenly wary, Paul shifted his weight. "Yeah, why?"

"Nothing, nothing," his superior told him, waving away Paul's question. "Just wondering if anything we should know about went on."

"This can't be the only reason you wanted to see me," growled the assassin.

"Of course!" Flint exclaimed. "I almost forgot. I got you a gift basket for Cinco de Mayo."

"Am I supposed to be laughing?"

"It'd be nice, yes."

Paul remained silent.

The red haired man sighed exaggeratedly. "You're a marvel, Paul."

"I try." Paul turned to leave, making it clear he was done talking to his boss.

"You didn't let me finish," called Flint as Paul was stepping through the doorway.

The stony man froze, listening, but not giving Flint the pleasure of eye contact.

He could hear the smirk in Flint's voice, and the creak of his chair let him know the man had reclined back to the position he had found him in. "Our secret weapon had better be ready by summer."

Paul whipped around. "That's a month away," he cried.

Flint arched an eyebrow. "That is very observant of you," he remarked. "Does this mean he's… _not_ ready?"

Angered, Paul looked away. "He will be," he said through gritted teeth. And on that note, Paul left the office, slamming the door shut on his way.

* * *

"Fabio," Dawn read, looking at May's binder. Confused, she turned her gaze to her friend. "Why do you have a picture of a white car with the name Fabio underneath it on the front of your binder?"

May blushed profusely. "No reason," she mumbled, pulling her binder away from the blunette.

"Hello," Ash greeted, dropping his backpack at their table. He collapsed into his chair and brushed his hair out of his face. "What are we doing today?"

Dawn sighed. "Something about the Egyptian wars," she said airily.

"That is a card game," May told her. "Peloponnesian Wars," she said to Ash.

Ash drummed on his binder. "My favorite." He glanced around the room. "Hey Triple S!" he called.

A boy with a spaceship shirt made his way over to Ash. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Did you see Malone today?" Ash questioned, regarding a teacher he must have seen earlier.

"Oh yeah! Dude, what was wrong with him?" continued TS.

After a bit more chatter, TS went back to his group and continued his studying. Ash blinked in his direction, then turned to May and Dawn. "Is Triple S really his name?" he wondered.

"Oh no," May said, already filling out her packet. "He just always wears a spaceship shirt, so everyone calls him Triple S."

"Oh." Ash was silent for a moment. "Then what's his real name?"

May was about to respond, but she hesitated. "I don't know," she admitted. "Dawn?"

"Haven't got a clue," replied the blunette. "He's just always been a background character, you know?"

The conversation came to a standstill as the trio examined the packet presented to them. Eventually they began to talk about the schoolwork, and Sparta and Athens, and the spaceship shirt boy faded into the back of their minds, all but forgotten.

* * *

Pikachu shot a bolt of lightning blindly. The air crackled with electricity, causing the room's occupants' hair to stand up on end and the lights to flicker. Paul growled his command. "Again," he ordered.

Ash sincerely wished he could have taken a moment from his training to laugh at how ridiculous Paul looked with his hair all upright, but his superior was evidently not in a good mood. In fact, he was even more bitter than usual.

Ash had always assumed that Monday resentment faded once one left school, but for Paul, this was clearly not the case. He had been grumpy all day, according to Drew, and was taking out it out on Ash.

Well, if there was anyone who wasn't going to put up with Paul, it was Pikachu.

The tiny mouse glared at the assassin, hate registering on its yellow face. The sacs in its cheeks began sparking with electricity, and with a might clap of thunder, a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky, striking the ground merely inches from Paul's feet. It was enough to make him jump and twitch with electricity from the air.

Ash smirked up at him. "And you know he could have hit you if he wanted to," he said.

Paul grumbled something incoherent and left the training field.

Pikachu leapt to Ash's shoulder. "Pika!" it cried jovially.

In return, its Trainer scratched it behind the ears. "You," he began, "are one feisty mouse."

The mouse _cha_-ed happily.

"Shall we practice that new thunderbolt?" Ash questioned. "I think Drew said he was in the BR."

Pikachu grinned deviously. For some reason, Ash felt the mouse would thoroughly enjoy zapping the green haired man.

* * *

The room was silent, save for the resonating _beep_ that sounded consistently. A timer counted down, second by second, the red numbers almost laughing at him.

Drew ran a hand through his hair, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was clad in his black mission suit, and his gloved hands were shaking. The numbers continued to flash, only increasing his nervousness.

He swallowed. The pliers in his hand were hardly sufficient bomb defusing tools. Drew's heart pounded as he fought to decide which wire to cut. Red? Or black? And what the _hell_ was that yellow one supposed to do?

"Mr. Hayden, we're all going to die in thirty seconds," said a bored, disembodied voice.

"Thank you, Lucian!" Drew yelled, his nerves getting the better of him. "I'm very aware!"

"It's only training, my God," Lucian continued. He sat behind the one way glass window, watching the younger man attempt to disable the bomb. "No need to be so jittery."

In a wave of fear and anger, Drew took all three wires and snipped them at the same time. To his surprise, the timer went black. He stepped back, afraid it would still explode. It didn't.

Drew exhaled loudly. "I didn't think that would work."

"It shouldn't have," he heard Lucian growl.

Feeling relieved, Drew snapped his gloves off. "Looks like I'm done here," he said. "Later, Luke."

Lucian allowed his head to rest in his hands. "Lucian," he murmured angrily. "Not Luke." Louder, he called, "You just cheated death, Hayden. I hope God strikes you down with lightning for that."

Drew grinned at him. "Your religious curses can't hurt me. I'm an atheist." He blew Lucian a kiss. "Peace."

The older man glared as he watched Drew exit the bomb training room, leaving the door wide open. Fortunately, this allowed Lucian to see the bright flashes of light and hear the outraged "PIKA!"

Horrified, Lucian darted from the observation room, through the room with the now dead bomb, and into the hallway. What he saw caused his normally calm face to split into a grin. "It looks like you've had a spiritual awakening," he said smugly.

Drew resided on his behind, his face blackened and his hair all standing on end. Ash was cackling farther down the hall, while his Pikachu looked proud. Smoke was still rising from the green headed Trainer, and his expression was one of utter shock.

"Infirmary?" Lucian suggested, extending his hand.

Drew's wide eyes looked up at him, and then his hand. "No thanks," he said, though his voice was anything but adamant. "I'll walk myself."

* * *

Ash and his Pikachu, with their newfound superpower of lightning, paraded through the halls of the Company. Ash wanted to show Delia what his Pokemon could do.

Delia was in Cynthia's office, busy filing things in the oversize filing cabinet. "Mom!" he called, sprinting inside. "Look! Look what Pikachu can do!"

After she slipped the last file into its spot, she turned her attention to her son. "What did Pikachu learn?" she inquired with genuine enthusiasm.

Ash pointed out the window to the tree far below. "Pikachu, thunderbolt on that tree!"

Eager to show off, the mouse obeyed. The room lit up with electricity, and when it cleared, the tree down below was blackened and crispy, some of its leaves still smoldering.

As Ash grinned proudly and gestured to the now singed tree, he noticed someone sprinting across the parking lot, getting as far away from the tree as they could. He squinted at them. They didn't look familiar.

Instinctively Ash rummaged through Cynthia's desk. He found what he was looking for, and jumped over the window sill, causing his mother to scream in panic. "What are you doing!" she shrieked.

"Set off the alarms," he instructed. "I think we've had a security breach." With that, he clipped the device he had taken from Cynthia's desk to the inside of the room and yanked out the rope. The thing was like a dog leash. With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash pressed the button in his hand, and the rope became slack. He hooked it through his belt loop and jumped.

The instant he was freefalling, Ash pressed the button again. The rope gradually slowed his fall, lowering him at a fast yet safe pace. When he was close enough to the ground, he unhooked it and fell to the ground.

The man was still running, desperately trying to get to the street. Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder, and the two pursued the man. It was clear he was panicking, because his steps seemed confused. He didn't know which way to run. There was the street, but where would that get him? Behind him, Ash was gaining, and he was exhausted from the sprint. His feet were fumbling.

Just as he made his decision to run for the street, Ash jumped on him. "Who are you!" Ash yelled.

The man struggled to get out of his grasp. "Let me go! I only took one! I swear!"

"One what?" demanded the raven haired assassin.

"They're just plastic balls!" continued the man. "Not even that valuable! I only took it because my sister said she wanted a ball for her birthday."

Ash hesitated. "You came here for a ball?" he asked.

"Well, no, the ball was just a side note. It doesn't matter! Let me go!" he cried.

"Give me the ball," Ash countered.

"What? No! It's just a stupid ball, my God! Why can't I keep it?"

"Who is this?" Paul called.

Ash twisted just enough to see his superior calmly making his way over. "I don't know, Paul," he informed him. "He took a pokeball, though. Do you recognize him?"

Paul knelt down by the intruder's face, and Ash got off of him with a grunt. The man made to get up, but Paul's hand on the back of his neck stopped him. He stared at his face, trying to place the dark skin and squinting eyes with someone from his memory. "No," he said. He stared intently at the man's face. "What's your name?"

The man swallowed. He took several shallow, nervous breaths before answering. "Brock H-Harrison."

Paul blinked with disinterest. "Well, Brock Harrison, I suppose you have a lot of answering to do." His hand came down on his neck.

Brock Harrison didn't have time to scream. In a heartbeat he had gone limp. Paul stood up and began walking away.

"Bring him in," he told Ash.

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "Right." He rolled the intruder over on his back and scooped him up bridal style. Trailing after Paul, he carried the unconscious man all the way back to the Company, his Pikachu scampering after him.

***AN: Ugh, it's so short! Oh well. Brock is here! *confetti* No one probably got the Spaceship Shirt Boy reference up there, but there's always a kid with a spaceship shirt in the background of a lot of the Pokemon episodes. I was out of main characters, so I used him. I'm also going to start making people up, because I don't know the Pokemon world as well as I used to. Hope you enjoyed my short chapter, because I did. Ciao~***


	7. Chapter 7

_Seven_

Ash could not sit still. It was the end of the day, and as soon as he got to the Company, he got to talk to Brock, their newest prisoner. They had placed him in the same cell as the man they had failed to kill a few weeks ago. Apparently, after Ash had gone home to do his homework the previous day, Paul and the Elitists had had a meeting about what to do with the man who had beaten their security. Even Cynthia had been there.

Ash had never met Cynthia. He hoped that catching this man would get him noticed enough to be promoted to Battle Trainer, like Paul. Then he could go on missions all by himself, and have his own team, and—

"Yo Ketchum!" Misty called, interrupting his thoughts. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

Ash shook his head. "Not a thing. Was it important?"

Misty looked away and grumbled, "Guess not."

Leaf was busy completing her math assignment, and thus rather oblivious to the conversation. "I had fun at the party," she stated.

"I did too," Ash added. "I'd like to go to the next one."

The girl just nodded. Evidently she did not hear his response. Misty, on the other hand, did. "I think I'll be hosting one soon," she informed him.

"You live in a mansion?" he questioned.

Misty looked ready to punch him. "No you retard. My sisters run an aquatic gym, and they're going out of town soon for _another_ photo shoot." She sat back, her face smug. "So, in a few weeks, I'll be very capable of holding a party."

"This week there's one at Kasey's house," Leaf said.

Ash sighed. "I can't this week."

"Can you do anything after school today?" Misty interrogated. "I asked you this earlier, but you didn't hear me."

He shook his head regretfully. "Naw, I have to go to work." His eyes lit up. "And hopefully Cynthia will let me—." He stopped short when he noticed the two girls watching him intently. Ash swallowed and shrugged. "Do the job I've been wanting," he finished smoothly.

Misty narrowed her eyes at him. Suddenly she was very keen on who this Cynthia person was.

* * *

Professor Oak stared idly at the pokeball in his hands. He tossed it once, and caught it again. "Is it merely a coincidence?" he wondered aloud.

"Gramps, you've been babbling like that for the past hour," Gary said, sounding frustrated. He raised one of the glass beakers to his lips and blew, creating a resounding hoot. "What the heck are you talking about?"

The elderly man shook his head. "Just theorizing, Gary," he told him.

Gary rolled his eyes. "So you called me down here to listen to you theorize?"

"Hm? No, I wanted your help." Oak spun around in his chair and wheeled it over to where his grandson was blowing over glass beakers. He placed the ball in front of him. "Look. This is the ball that man stole yesterday. It contains one of my more primitive experiments, a hybrid snake whose body is comprised of rocks."

Gary stared at him, clearly not impressed. "And why is that important?"

"Well, you see, all of the creatures I create have a specific call they make. This one was rather… er, brutish, I suppose, but this is what it sounds like." He tossed the ball. "Come on out, Onix."

There was a bright flash, and the room was abruptly crowded with large boulders. Gary recoiled in shock, only to realize that one of the rocks had eyes, and a mouth like a crude line. It turned to glare at him, and sounded its roar. "_BROCK!_" it shouted.

Gary frowned. "Did it really just say what I think it said?"

Oak nodded enthusiastically. "Isn't it fantastic?" he cried, bouncing up and down. "This Brock person is destined to be its master!"

The young boy blinked. "I don't think so," he said carefully.

"Oh come now, Gary, it's as close to fate as you can get," Oak insisted.

"No, I _really_ don't think that some random guy who broke into the Company is destined to have a two ton snake made out of rocks," Gary said.

"He can't be just any guy if he beat our system," continued the professor. "All the pokeballs are kept in an airlock chamber when here in the lab, or they are on their persons at all times. There is no way he is 'just some guy'."

Gary looked confused, then enlightened. "You mean he's a spy?"

Professor Oak shrugged. "What do I know? I'm the crazy old man who accidentally discovered genetic code splicing. I spend all my hours with imaginary creatures."

Gary stared at his grandfather. "Do you want me to contradict you or do you like to discredit yourself?" he asked.

"A little of both, actually," replied the old man.

Again, Gary stared at him. After the almost awkward eye contact, he gathered up his papers, took off his glasses, and left the laboratory.

"One more thing!" called Oak, and Gary turned around. "Something you need to tell Paul and Ash."

* * *

Paul was about ready to take his gun and place a hole in his head. Cynthia had ordered him to keep the prisoners under watch "until the Ketchum boy arrives," she'd said. And Brock and Leonard (as Paul had discovered was the name of their target within the first five minutes of the two being in the cell together) had really hit it off. They had not ceased talking since Paul turned the key in the door, and it was driving him crazy.

Was it too much to ask for some peace and quiet while on prison duty? If he had wanted this job, he would have become a policeman. Not an assassin.

This work was so below him. Where was that idiot intern? This was a job for him, not Paul.

"So you make weapons?" Brock was saying to Leonard.

"No, I design them, and the factories make them," Leonard replied.

"Oh cool," Brock said. "I take care of my ten brothers and sisters, since my mother died a few years back and my dad left us when I was a kid."

Leonard sounded confused. "Then what were you doing in this building if all you do is babysit?"

Brock hesitated in his answer. "I'm not entirely sure…" he said truthfully. He brightened up. "But that's not all I do!" he protested. "I'm a veterinarian. I run a clinic from my house, and all my siblings help me out."

"That's wonderful that you help animals," Leonard said with a smile.

Paul nearly gagged. Was he really guarding the saps of the criminal world?

"I design things that bring untimely death to millions of innocent people," Leonard continued, sounding sad. "I deserved to have that man there shoot me." Paul rolled his eyes. "And yet, he found it in his heart to spare me! God bless that man, my would be killer!"

"Are you kidding me," Paul growled. He found the deck of cards in the drawer of the desk and dealt them out for solitaire.

Brock sniffed. "That was so beautiful!" he cried.

Paul was just about to lose it when the door opened. He spun around, eternally grateful to whoever his savior was, when Ash walked in. "What are you three up to?" he inquired.

Paul's hope disappeared in a flash. Ash was just as bad as Brock and Leonard in his own special way. And chances were, he wouldn't get to leave until Ash was done interrogating the two. He hated being in charge.

"How did you get into the Company?" Ash asked Brock.

Brock shrugged. "I just… kinda walked right in, I suppose. I wasn't aware there was security." He glanced up at him. "Can I have my ball back now?"

"Why do you want the ball so bad?" Ash continued.

"I don't know, I just do!" Brock cried. "I've got some sort of attachment to it."

"How did you know where the balls were located?"

Brock shook his head. "I wound up there, I think. I don't remember much before you attacked me. Honest!"

Ash turned to Paul. "Is he telling the truth?"

Paul shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not the one with the Alakazam."

"Can we get a psychic in here, please?" Ash asked.

With a roll of his eyes, Paul pressed the intercom button by the keyboard and tapped his password into the number pad. It lit up, letting him know he was on air. "Can we get a psychic to holding cell 11C?" he said into the microphone. His voice reverberated around the building.

Eventually, a middle aged woman dressed in purple came through the door. "You called?" she asked. Her demeanor was unimpressed and she appeared bored.

Ash pointed at Brock. "We want to know if he's telling the truth."

She cast Brock an uninterested look before releasing her Pokemon. Out came an imposing yellow creature. "'Kay. Start asking."

The young assassin turned to his prisoner again. "How did you get to the balls?" he asked again.

"I don't know!" repeated Brock. "I hardly remember it."

Ash looked to the psychic. "Honest?"

The psychic glanced at her Alakazam and shrugged. "In a way."

"What does that mean?" Paul demanded.

The woman shrugged again. "It means he's lying and not lying at the same time. On the surface, he doesn't remember, but deep down, he does."

Ash glanced between the psychic and Brock, the latter of which looked positively terrified that someone could see that far into him. "So… do we break out the truth serum?"

"We could torture him," Paul suggested quietly.

"But we have to go through Cynthia for that," Ash whined. "Is there anything we can do without Cynthia's permission?"

Paul looked thoughtful. "Well, outside of feeding him and interrogating him, no, not really."

Ash grumbled something incoherent, probably some colorful language. "Then this really isn't getting us anywhere."

"Seems to be a recurring pattern, doesn't it?" Paul said.

"You're lucky Pikachu is in the Center," Ash snapped at him. "He'd barbeque you before you could even smirk."

"These men are so _strange,_" said Leonard. "What on earth is Pikachu? A disease?"

The psychic rolled her eyes. "Can I go now? I left my kid in the daycare and she's screaming her head off, I can feel it." The Company had a daycare for children under five years old where parents could drop off their kids while working.

Paul recalled who was running the daycare today (Drew) and told her she could not leave until they made a decision.

Abruptly, the door swung open, and in paraded Gary. "My gramps and Cynthia decided that these two Nutter Butters—," he gestured wildly to the prisoners, "are going to work for the Company."

Paul and Ash erupted in angry tones. They were talking on top of each other, loudly complaining about the fact that such idiots would be allowed to work with the Company. What was Cynthia thinking? It wasn't fair! She wasn't going to let them be Trainers, was she?

Gary had to raise his hands to shut them up. "Yes, they're going to be Trainers, now put a sock in it!" he cried. From his pocket, he produced two gleaming red and white balls. "Here," he said, sticking his hands through the bars. "This one is for the Invisible Man, and this one is for Courage the Cowardly Dog." Brock and Leonard took their pokeballs respectively, staring at them in wonder.

"So I can give this to my sister now?" Brock wondered.

"Enough with the sister crap," Ash snapped. "We know that's not true."

Brock flinched and stared at the ball in fear. "Then why did you give it to me?"

"It's yours now," Gary clarified. "You get the ball, and whatever's inside it."

"Great, a decision has been reached," the psychic announced. "I'm out of here." She left the room eagerly, much to Paul's disappointment. He'd been hoping to torment Drew a little more.

Confused, Leonard gave his ball a shake. "I don't hear anything inside mine," he said.

Gary shook his head. "He's hopeless." With strained patience, the professor-to-be slowly instructed Leonard to press the button in the center to release the ball's contents.

Shock came over the man's expression as he pressed it, revealing a small brown creature. Its tail was curled around it, hiding its small, weak body.

"A raccoon?" questioned Leonard, his expression puzzled.

"Sentret," Paul observed. "How fitting."

Leonard prodded the tiny creature, and it uncurled with a panicked shriek. Leonard responded similarly, fumbling with the ball. "Put it back! _Put it back!_"

"Aw, they like each other," Ash said with false glee.

"A-buh-bup!" Gary said, looking at Brock, who had been about to release his Pokemon. "Don't open it in there. It's kinda big."

Brock gave the ball a queer look, but he obeyed.

"You push the button again, you imbecile," Paul growled.

Wary, Leonard shied away from the ball and pressed the center button again. There was a flash of red light that made him squeak, and suddenly the Sentret was no longer there.

"Whew," Leonard breathed. "Thank God that thing is gone."

"'That thing' is now your pet," Gary told him, smirking. "Better make friends with her, or else you'll be in for a nasty shock."

Brock looked up at Paul. "Do we get out of the cage now?"

Paul glanced at Gary. "Do they?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah, but they can't leave the building until Cynthia okays it. Ash, take squinty here to one of the battle rooms so he can try out his Onix."

With a gasp, Ash's eyes grew wide. "_Onix?_ What was the professor thinking?" He waited until Paul unlocked the cell before dragging Brock out of the room. "Wow," he breathed. "Onix."

"And Paul," Gary continued, "you get to deal with Leonard."

Leonard gave Paul an enthusiastic smile. For the umpteenth time that day, Paul wondered why he didn't kill the idiot when he had the chance.

* * *

Misty stared at the ceiling above her bed. Downstairs, she could hear her sisters giggling with their dates, prattling on and on about things she would rid the world of if she could. The soccer ball she held in her hands had long since ceased to entertain her, and she now only tossed it for the sake of something to do.

The girl had a lot on her mind. First of all, there was that stupid math test tomorrow that she was bound to fail. She did _not_ understand limits. They were far beyond her capability.

Second, there was a swim meet coming up, and she just _had_ to get under a twenty-six in her fifty free. If she could do that, first place was hers.

And third, there was Ash. Stupid, oblivious, adorable Ash. She wasn't going to lie to herself—she had a crush on him. However, the fact that he mentioned someone named Cynthia in such an excited tone unnerved her. What if he was _into_ her? What if she was into _him?_ There was no reason not to be. He was good looking, funny, strong, and had a hint of intelligence. _And_ he was nice, which was something most guys seemed to lack.

If she really thought about it, Misty was extremely lucky. Into her life walked the perfect guy, who immediately became her friend and crush. The only problem with perfect guys was that they were almost always taken, or gay, and it was starting to look like the former was the case.

She sighed and tossed the ball again. Love was the only sport she had never been good at. There were no written rules for it, and nobody played fair. There was no referee to call foul or determine a winner. People cheated left and right. No victory lasted long. It was the ultimate game.

The ball smacked the ceiling at an odd angle, and bounced across the floor. Misty rolled over and watched it spin away from her, not bothering to get it. Her sisters' giggling was uninterrupted by the thumping of the soccer ball.

Maybe she should play the game like them. Her sisters had guys dropping like stones for them. It couldn't hurt to learn a few tricks, since they were obviously good at what they did. Violet, Daisy, and Lily knew the game of love better than anyone, and they played to win, no matter how many hearts they crushed in the process.

Misty sat up bolt right. That was it! She had to play aggressive if she wanted to win. Like any game of soccer, lacrosse, or basketball, she had to intimidate the other players and take the ball for herself. Like swimming, she had to seize every stroke and turn with a ferocity that outdid all the other racers. She had to use every muscle in her body, ever fiber in her being to win.

Luckily, winning was something she was good at.

***AN: HARRY POTTER! Yes, it is HERE! I'm SO PSYCHED! Total Harry Potter nerd over here. ABC was showing all the movies the other day and I was literally reciting scenes. They even showed it with deleted scenes, and I was pointing them out like doing so would win me a large amount of money. I'm going tomorrow to see Deathly Hallows. Everyone should go celebrate Harry Potter-ness, because without J.K. Rowling, I would not be here, writing this story, making all of you happy. She is my inspiration and my hero and the reason I write and the person I would kill to meet. So if you know her, hook me up? Please?***


	8. Chapter 8

_Eight_

The van pulled up to the old, maroon building, the headlights blinking out. Inside, Gary was getting his equipment ready. Several images of the building's innards appeared on different screens as his cameras flicked on.

"Okay," he said into his earpiece. "I have eyes."

"And thanks to who?" Drew called from the back of the van.

Gary rolled his eyes. "Everyone, all together."

"Thank you Drew," the three said in unison, their voices irritated.

"Can we just get this over with?" Paul snapped. "I have somewhere I need to be."

Drew joined Gary in observing the monitors. "Ironsides can wait, Paula," he said to Paul. "Your little ship isn't going to set sail anytime soon."

"This isn't even a real mission!" Ash cried indignantly over the earpiece. "We're not even killing someone! I thought we were assassins!"

Paul and Ash stepped into view of one of the cameras, making their way through the building. "Cool it, Ashy boy. This is a trial run so you won't get lost tomorrow night."

"Stop calling me that," he growled in response.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Drew teased. "You're wearing pants this time."

"So what exactly is happening here tomorrow night?" Gary wondered. "No one ever gave me a full briefing."

Paul rolled his eyes and jumped from one screen to the next. "Well, lover boy, if you had been paying attention earlier, you would know. We're infiltrating an ERP and taking out Hermes."

"What's that old saying?" inquired Drew sarcastically. "'Don't shoot the messenger'?"

Gary watched Paul on the screen as the assassin peered around corners and learned every inch of the building. "Ash, show Drew what a stellar pupil you are and tell him who Hermes is."

Ash hesitated in his leap. "Um, Hermes is a… a codename for… for someone who knows vital information with the intent of passing it on," he recited. "I think. And ERP is an Enemy Rendezvous Point."

Paul smirked. "See what a good student he is?"

With a grin, Ash leapt from the upper level through a hole in the flooring, down to where Paul was standing. Suddenly curious, he knelt down, inspecting something on the ground. "What's this?" he asked.

"Get your nose off the ground, Scooby, and finish the trial run," Gary snapped. "I want to go home."

"Zip it, Mystery Machine," said Paul. He knelt beside Ash, examining the same bit of floor. "The kid's onto something." Drew and Gary watched as Paul brushed whatever it was with his gloved hand and bring it to his mouth. In a heartbeat he spat it out again. "Cocaine," he said simply. "And dried blood."

"I prefer my crack straight off the crystal, though the blood can give it a nice flavor," Drew mocked.

"Shut up," Paul ordered. "This isn't right." He stood and looked around. "Are those… bullet holes?"

Ash followed his gaze, which was out of Gary's camera's vision. "Holy crap, it looks like there was a war here."

There was a loud, abrupt crash, making all four of them jump. "What was that?" Gary questioned, fear shaking his voice. He looked around at all his cameras, and felt his stomach drop as the screens were covered by dozens of bodies. "Oh," was all he could say.

A glance at the screen showing Paul and Ash confirmed his fears. The two were completely surrounded, their hands raised high in the air. "Gangs," Paul said simply.

* * *

Ash glanced at Paul. The man stood, cool and collected, with his arms raised in surrender. Ash forced himself to stand still, though he wanted to quake and quiver with fear. He had no experience fighting this many people, let alone this many people with _guns._

A man stepped forward. He had a large automatic weapon slung across his shoulder, and walked with a cool, unprofessional swagger. The red bandana he had wrapped around his wrist matched that of all his comrades, save for a glimmering golden chain entwining it. "What are you two doing in our base?" he asked, and his voice was that of a heavy drinker and smoker, of someone who had seen death and had overcome it by snorting the powder on the floor. Clearly, this was the gang leader.

"We were not aware this was the headquarters of your gang," Paul responded calmly.

"Oh yeah?" replied the leader. He nodded to one of his companions. "Search these bozos."

Silently, a scrawny boy with a gun twice as wide as he was stepped forward, keeping the weapon trained on Ash and Paul. From behind came two other members of the gang, violating the assassins' privacy and removing all the contents of their pockets.

"Cops," one of them said, holding up Paul's ID badge.

"Whoa, no, not cops," Paul said immediately, for every gun in the room clicked as it was cocked.

"Oh yeah?" the leader said again. He received the badge from one of his cronies and read it. "Then what does 'Law Abiding Resource' mean?"

"It should be LARA," Ash squeaked.

The gang leader glared at Ash, and came right up to him with the gun dangerously close to his face. "And what might LARA mean, punk?" he demanded in a clipped tone.

Ash could no longer control his shaking. "Uh—," he began.

"Don't say anything, Ash," Paul instructed.

The leader turned to Paul. "And why not?" he questioned. "Something I ain't supposed to know?"

Paul shifted his weight and looked the leader in the eye. "We are just as illegal as you are," he said clearly. "We just don't flaunt it."

With pursed lips, the gang leader stepped back. "Very well," he said, sounding irritated. Suddenly his gun was aimed at Ash's head. "Tell me what that last 'A' stands for or the kid gets it."

Paul almost jumped, almost broke his cool. He flinched, but other than that, did nothing. "I can compromise."

The gang members watched him expectantly. Paul never took his eyes off the gun aimed at Ash's head.

"Ascetic," Paul said finally. "It means ascetic."

All around them, the gang members lowered their guns in confusion. "What the hell's an ascetic?" one of them wondered.

There was silence. One of the men continued to search Ash's pockets, and produced a small, red and white ball. "What's this, huh?" he snapped, thrusting it in Ash's face.

A look of pure horror overcame the young assassin's face as he watched the precious ball be tossed to the gang leader. "It's nothing. A good luck charm," he said quickly.

"Purple has two of 'em," said one of the members.

Paul mumbled something, causing the man who had been searching him to grab him roughly and aim the gun at his throat. "What did you say, grape boy?"

"Nothing," Paul replied placidly.

* * *

What Paul had mumbled was a short, coded phrase, "Carl has a mother pig," which had been meant for the ears of Drew and Gary.

Unfortunately, Drew and Gary had _no idea_ what this code meant.

"'Carl has a mother pig'?" Drew repeated in shock. "Is that even an official code?"

Gary had scrambled to the back of the van to get a book he kept under the bench. He began flipping through it, the worn cover just barely staying on and a few pages actually flying out in his haste. On the numerously creased spine were the words, "Official Codebook for the Company," the letters faded almost to illegibility. "Um," was all the researcher could come up with.

Drew was bent over the dashboard, his head in his hands. "There's got to be some trick to figuring it out. Like every fourth letter or something." With a stroke of inspiration, he snatched Gary's notepad from under the seat and began working on the letters.

Gary cried out in surprise. "Carl is code for 'I'm sexy'," he informed Drew.

Blinking, Drew paused in his manual decoding and gave Gary a queer expression. "We have a code for that?"

"…Yeah, it looks like it."

"No, you idiots!" Paul's voice snapped through their earpieces.

Paul was hit in the side with the butt of a gun. "What did you just call me, Barney?" demanded the gang member.

"I'm sorry," Paul apologized genuinely. "I'm schizophrenic, and sometimes the only way to shut them up is to yell at them."

The gang took a few steps away from Paul and Ash, suddenly nervous. Ash rolled his eyes. "It's not contagious," he told them.

Drew snickered and went back to his paper. His decoding had gotten him nowhere, except that the first letters of each word spelled out "champ." He stared at this revelation for a total of ten seconds, when he abruptly leapt out of the chair and scrambled for the phone.

Gary watched him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"He wants us to call the champ," Drew explained. He punched numbers into the pad on the dashboard, the receiver at his ear. "We need Cynthia."

* * *

The large, windowless room was empty, save for two occupants. One was a beautiful woman, her long blond hair contrasting fashionably with her gothic attire. She sat in a chair, leaning back with her feet up on the fake oak table.

Flint stood not far from her, leaning on the table with anger in his eyes. "Cynthia, I don't know if you've realized this, but we have a time limit here. You heard what Paul's team discovered at that party, right?"

"It's not important," she murmured.

"Not important?" Flint repeated incredulously. "How can shipments of weaponry to France in order to start a war with Germany _not be important?_ Need I remind you that the last two world wars resulted because those two countries couldn't get along?"

Cynthia glared at him. "I don't think you understand," she said coldly. "We are a government run organization with special privileges. Ever since our formation, there have been people out there who are bent on bringing us down. This 'war with Germany' is a distraction."

"Giovanni wouldn't—," Flint tried, but Cynthia cut him off.

"No, he wouldn't," she agreed. "But I can't say that this is entirely his plan."

Flint appeared confused, and he ran a hand through his ginger afro. "Are you… are you saying—?"

The door opened abruptly, cause Flint to break off. Delia blinked apologetically. "Cynthia, you have a phone call," she informed her, and retreated back to her desk.

With an exaggerated sigh, Cynthia got out of her relaxed position and followed Delia out. "We'll continue this later," she told Flint as she exited.

Cynthia stepped over to Delia's desk and picked the phone off the receiver. "Hello," she said in a bored tone.

"Um, Cynthia?" asked Drew. He sounded nervous.

"That would be me."

Drew took a deep breath. "Um, we've got a problem. That trial run we were supposed to do? Well, it turns out the place is a gang base." He paused expectantly. When Cynthia said nothing, he questioned, "What do we do?"

Cynthia popped her lips. "So Paul and Ash are trapped inside with a bunch of gang members about to mow them down with machine guns?"

Delia squeaked in terror, and Cynthia snickered.

"Uh, yeah, actually, that's what it looks like," Drew told her.

The Champion hesitated. "I was kidding. I wanted to scare Delia over here."

"Then by all means, don't tell her it's true."

"Look," Cynthia tried, thinking hard, "you and Gary use your Pokemon to cause a distraction, and then they can get out of there, okay?"

She could almost hear Drew nod. "Alright. Sounds good. Thanks." And he hung up.

Cynthia set the phone on the receiver and faced the terrified Mrs. Ketchum. "Teenagers," Cynthia chuckled, and she retreated to her office.

* * *

Gary smirked proudly, spinning a pokeball on his fingertip. "So you will knock them out with Sleep Powder," he said.

"And you'll make sure they can't move with a Thundershock," Drew finished. He snatched Roserade's heavily decorated pokeball from his pocket and tossed it a few times. "Ready?"

"Set," Gary said slyly.

"Go!" they exclaimed together.

"So immature," Paul growled from their earpieces.

After much pandemonium and terrified shrieks, the gang members were successfully subdued. Paul and Ash made their way to the van where the victorious Drew and Gary were, their Pokemon celebrating with them.

"We are so awesome," Gary remarked.

"Quite," Paul agreed with disinterest. "Let's go. Saturday Night Live starts in ten minutes."

Drew smirked. "I had no idea that Paul liked to laugh!" he exclaimed. Gary snickered as he put the car in gear.

"Meagan Fox is hosting tonight," was Paul's excuse. He looked at Ash. "What's that?"

Ash flicked his wrist, hiding whatever it was he had. "Nothing," he told him.

"No, I saw something. What was it?" Paul demanded.

"It was nothing!" insisted the kid.

While he was distracted by Paul, Drew reached behind Ash and snatched it from his hands. He stared at the object in confusion. "A golden chain? I didn't know you were into jewelry."

Paul grabbed it from Drew. "This is what the gang leader was wearing," he stated.

Ash looked nervous. "Yeah, and?"

Furious, his superior hurled it at him. "Why the hell would you take it?" he cried.

"Because I wanted revenge!" Ash retorted. "Nobody humiliates me like that without paying for it later." He picked the chain off the ground and look at it with pride. "Oh, he's gonna miss this," he said happily.

Paul shook his head, his expression unreadable. With a warning glare, he swiped the trinket from Ash and pocketed it. "Take me home, Gary," he ordered plainly.

* * *

Ash rolled out of bed to the sound of his shrieking alarm clock. He blinked blearily in the darkness, wondering how on earth his alarm had been set. Through bloodshot eyes he saw the time, a darkly early five thirty. With a groan, he went to turn it off, when his eyes fell on a note placed on the clock.

_You're walking today, kid. Better get a move on. – P _

He stared at the note, letting his aching eyes adjust to the paper. Walking… walking… walking where? And who the heck was P?

Abruptly, everything clicked. Ash crumpled up the note and tossed it across the room. "I don't think so, Paul," he said to his pillow, and he fell back asleep.

Of course, two hours later, he was scrambling throughout the house, trying to find another sock while eating a piece of toast and running a comb through his hair. As soon as the sock was located and on his foot, he threw the comb, knowing the effort was futile, and went in search of his shoes. Those were easier to locate, as Delia always set them under the shelves.

With his shoes on his feet and his toast in his stomach, Ash grabbed his backpack and started running. There was no one waiting for him in the parking lot, which did not surprise him. Paul usually meant what he said—or, in this case, wrote. Ash glanced at his phone as he ran, realizing he had twenty minutes before the late bell.

He could make it, probably. He hoped he hadn't forgotten anything, because it was too late to turn around now.

It never once occurred to him that leaving Pikachu in his apartment, alone and out of its pokeball, was a bad idea. He hardly even realized he had left the mischievous Pokemon out of its ball.

* * *

Misty tapped her pencil against the desk, rolling her eyes at Marks's lecture. Something about archetypes. It seemed even more boring than his others had been, but then, there was no Ash to keep her entertained.

Where was that boy? How dare he not show up for school? She had been planning to make him hers, starting that very class period, and yet he failed to make an appearance. What a jerk. It wasn't often that Misty Waterflower wore eye shadow and a skirt.

Dawn prodded her in the back. "He's not here!" she hissed, sounding worried.

Misty rolled her eyes and nodded. Dawn was not going to leave her alone, mostly because Misty had turned to her for advice on the outfit. The blunette now considered herself the love guru of the group, and was determined to get Misty with Ash.

The redhead honestly hated her new look. She wanted to stick with her sporty style and messy side ponytail. It was too far out of her comfort zone to be wearing something this ridiculous.

And if looks were all that mattered to Ash, he could go find some other girl to moon over him.

Misty felt another jab in her spine, and she turned around to glare at her friend. "I know what you're thinking," Dawn whispered menacingly. "You are _not_ changing at break."

In response, Misty faced the front of the room again.

At that moment, Ash came swinging into the classroom, panting heavily and looking altogether disheveled. Mr. Marks regarded him with a bored stare. "And why are you so late?" he questioned.

Ash swallowed, trying to answer with dignity. "I had to run to school," he replied.

Mr. Marks rolled his eyes. "Excuses, excuses. Would you really like to spend the week in detention?"

He shook his head determinedly. "I'll just take my seat," he said. He stepped over to his chair beside Misty, cowering under Mr. Marks's cold glare. The two kept eye contact for a while before the teacher went back to the lesson.

Misty shifted nervously in her chair. What would Ash say about her outfit? Would he even notice? What if he hated it and never spoke to her again? What if he loved it and would never speak to her again unless she was wearing it? What if… what if he realized she liked him because of the outfit change and slowly drew away from her?

Ash observed her panicking with an amused expression. "Hey," he whispered, and she jumped. "You look cute." And then he went right back to watching Mr. Marks.

Misty blinked, baffled. He had noticed. And he'd said she looked cute. And he hadn't scooted away from her or said anything mean or even made a slut joke. Wow.

"Thanks," she murmured back. "It's all Dawn's fault."

He gave a chuckle, and Misty smiled. She made him laugh! He thought she was funny! "I suspected something like that," he admitted quietly.

"Mr. Ketchum, if you keep disturbing my class, I will—."

"I apologize, sir," Ash said quickly. "Misty asked me how my mom was doing, and since it was good news, I thought I could chance to interrupt."

Mr. Marks blinked several times in rapid succession. "Oh," was all he said. After another awkward minute, he went back to teaching.

* * *

Brock looked around the lab with wonder. "How cool is this?" he cried. "There's enough room for me to let out Onix!"

Professor Oak grinned. "It'll be nice having a round the clock assistant," he said happily.

The younger man blinked. "But my siblings need me…" He trailed off.

The professor clapped him on the back. "Don't worry. You can go home every night at six, though you must know that we will be staking out your house and observing your every move." He grinned. "For your own good."

Brock stared at him, which for him constituted of turning his face in his direction. "Is that even legal?"

"You stole from us first, boy; don't you go telling us what is and isn't legal." Oak steered him to the lab equipment. "You might as well get cozy, because these things are going to be your best friends."

The younger man shrugged. "I like the Pokemon just fine." He paused. "What are they, exactly?"

"The Pokemon are the creations of Professors Rowan, Ivy, Elm, Birch, and myself. We were, ah, experimenting with plants and weapons, and wound up creating animated life," Oak explained. "After a few more months, we expanded that field to hybrid animals. We were able to create several new species of creatures, almost our own world, and we found out that their abilities were… otherworldly. We gave some to our best agents to train, and found that after achieving a certain level of expertise, a gene was triggered in the creature, and they would evolve into something entirely new."

Brock gaped at him. He pulled out his pokeball and stared at it. "So if I train Onix enough, it'll become something else?"

Oak shrugged. "It might. Some of them _don't_ evolve. We've been studying the chromosomes for a while, trying to figure out exactly what causes the evolution, but we're still unsure."

The professor's new apprentice nodded. "And you need me for what?" he inquired.

"You will take care of the Pokemon," Oak told him. "And Leonard is going to help us with the gene." He glanced at the clock. "If he decides to show up."

* * *

Paul leaned against his car, examining the chain Ash had stolen in the sunlight. It glinted blindingly in places, and appeared dim in others. School had just let out, and Paul was waiting for Ash to show up. Unsurprisingly, he took his time, and the troublesome girl beat him to Paul.

"Hey!" she greeted happily. "How are you, Paul? How was your day? Do you have a job? Did it go well? Is it an office job? It must pay well, or you wouldn't have such a nice car, right?"

The stony man sighed. "Hello, Dawn," he said disinterestedly.

"What's that you've got?" she asked. "A necklace? For who? Me? Did you go out and buy me a necklace?" She reached for the chain.

Paul snatched it away from her grasp. "No, this is not for you. It's not for anyone. I found it."

Dawn put on a prissy expression. "Well, it's too girly for you. I'll take it, if you like," she offered. She held out her hand.

Exasperated, Paul looked around for Ash, hoping that the kid could save him from this troublesome girl. He saw him pushing his way through the crowds, with Misty at his side. To his relief, Dawn had left him in the interest of meeting up with Misty.

He watched her go. Beyond Dawn and Misty, Paul noticed four men clad in black. Each of them had a red bandana wrapped around their wrists, and were leering at Paul.

Paul retreated into thought as he stepped into the car and began to drive. Who were those men? They seemed awfully familiar. He had an inkling that the red bandana meant something, but he was not sure exactly what…

"Earth calling Paul!" Ash was saying. "Did you hear me?"

Paul blinked and focused on him. "What?"

"I said, can I have my gangster chain back?" the boy repeated.

"What? No! Of course not! I'm going to find a way to give it back to the gangs without getting shot full of holes, no thanks to you," Paul snapped. Instinctively, his hand went to his pocket, feeling for the chain. A bolt of panic shot through him. He turned to Ash with a glare. "Where is it?" he hissed.

"Where's what?" Ash questioned, having already moved on.

"The chain! I had it a second ago and now it's gone! You took it, right?"

"No, I didn't!" cried Ash. "And stop blaming me whenever you lose something, okay? Jeez."

Paul hesitated, going over the events from when he had last seen the chain. As they passed through an intersection, Paul grinned.

Dawn was a lot sneakier than she appeared to be.

* * *

"Now who could this be for?" Dawn wondered aloud. She resided in the backseat of May's car, next to Leaf.

"Where did you get that?" Leaf asked.

Dawn examined the chain with interest. "Paul," she said simply.

"He gave that to you?" Misty cried, twisting around in the front seat.

"No," replied the blunette. The others waited for her to elaborate, but she remained silent.

"Then how did you get it?" questioned May, looking at her friend in the rearview mirror.

Dawn did not answer and instead handed the chain to Leaf. "Tell me if you can find a name on this thing," she ordered. "I want to know who he was going to give it to."

"You mean he has a girlfriend?" said Misty.

The girl shrugged. "He was very vague on the whole thing. He even said that the necklace wasn't meant for anyone, that he just 'found it'." Dawn looked proud. "Nobody finds something like that just lying around!"

Misty had her face in her hands. "Did you ever think that he might have been telling the truth?" she interrogated.

"Oh, there's no way that was the truth," Dawn said certainly. "He was totally lying through his teeth. I mean, if he'd just found it like that, he would have given it to me, right? Especially after I asked."

"You asked him for jewelry," May reiterated. She sighed. "And I thought you were the boy expert."

"It says Evelyn," Leaf announced.

Dawn scrambled to see what she meant. "Where? Where?" she exclaimed.

Leaf shied away from her. "Right here, Dawn." Her delicate finger traced the letters engraved in the gold.

"Evelyn and Paul," Dawn said slowly. "Oh my gosh their names go well together. I _knew_ he was lying!"

"Dawn, just because their names sound nice when put next to each other means _absolutely nothing,_" Misty tried.

Dawn shook her head. "No, it's like celebrity names! Think about it. Pauvelyn. Evenaul. Duh, of _course_ he's got a girlfriend named Evelyn." Suddenly she looked horrified. "And with a name like Evelyn, she's _got_ to be an older woman. I can't compete! What do I do?" she wailed.

"Hey, hey, we're in my _car_, Dawn," May snapped. "Lower your voice a few octaves so you don't shatter my windows."

"Or my eardrums," Misty added.

Leaf petted Dawn frantically. "Calm down, calm down. Look, you're freaking out so much you're making _me_ nervous. If you don't cool it I swear I will have a panic attack so STOP!" Leaf shouted this last word for emphasis, causing the entire car to go silent. Leaf looked around, took a shuddering breath, and said, "Good. Now let's all be nice and calm and save our freaking out for when we're not in an enclosed space, alright?"

The other three nodded, and the rest of the ride passed in silence.

* * *

After spending the evening at May's and accomplishing almost nothing in the realm of homework, Dawn began her trek home. It wasn't a long walk, but it did go through most of the neighborhood and a section of downtown. Dawn had traversed this path many times, and knew it better than she did the back of her hand. She wasn't worried.

Except that she had left May's later than she'd intended, and… now it was dark.

To get her mind off the worry she felt, Dawn pulled out Evelyn's necklace, and her fright soon became petty jealousy. She wanted to meet this Evelyn person, and see if she was truly more beautiful than Dawn was. If she was deserving of such a lovely golden chain.

* * *

Paul stood at his post, just outside the building they had infiltrated the night before. Ash was across the way, playing with some rocks and imagining he was shooting something. Their enemy had yet to make an appearance. With a sigh, he scanned the perimeter. He saw some girl walking down the sidewalk, grumbling to herself. Not the best idea to be out alone at this hour. He slid into the shadows and watched her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Paul saw movement in the darkness. There were fleeting flashes of red amongst the black. The gang members were back tonight.

And they were headed straight for the girl.

Paul followed them silently. The girl was in trouble, and she was going to need his help. She didn't even notice the advancing men, so lost she was in her thoughts. Something glinted in her hands, and suddenly Paul knew who she was, and why the gang members were after her.

Dawn had the chain, and they wanted it back.

"Hey girlie," one of them called, and Dawn snapped her head up, looking around in confusion. "What's that you've got?"

She blinked rapidly, her bright eyes glowing in the darkness. Terrified, she whipped her head around. "Who are you? Where did you all come from?" she asked in a quaking voice.

"We are the Evelyns," said one.

Dawn jumped, as the voice had come from behind her. She stared at the chain in her hands. "Evelyns? You mean this necklace belongs to you guys?" Horror showed on her face. "Oh my gosh," she breathed.

There was a chuckle from the one closest to her. "Suddenly realize just how deep you're in, huh?" he questioned.

"I-it's not my necklace, honest!" she cried. "I didn't steal it, either. Well, I _did_ steal it, kinda, but I was going to give it back, you s-see, I—." She broke off with a yelp. One of them had grabbed her by the arm, holding her in place. Her voice shook even more. "Please… just take it and let me go…"

The one holding her snickered in her ear. "Well, that _was _the original plan," he told her as he pulled the chain from her fingers.

"But we had no idea you were so… juicy," said another, much to the appreciation of his accomplices.

Paul forced himself to calm down. He was not going to let him get away with saying that to Dawn, but he wasn't going to be driven by anger.

"I'm kinda surprised Purple keeps such tender affections on his arm," he continued, leaning down to nip at Dawn's neck.

Now _that_ was a direct insult to Paul. His hands curled into fists as he watched the man proceed to suckle Dawn's neck. She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly.

"I'll scream," she threatened, though it only brought out laughs. "I mean it, I'll scream."

"Scream for this, girlie," laughed the man, and his hands grabbed downwards—

And Paul tore him off of her. Dawn screamed. The man hit the ground hard, much to the shock of his comrades. Paul dropped down on top of him, his knee landing squarely on his chest, and slammed his fist into his face.

The gang members sprang into action. Several hands grasped Paul and pulled him off their accomplice. With Dawn's shrieks and sobs in the background, the assassin kicked and writhed. The gang members were forced to drop him, and he spun around on the ground, kicking out many legs and bringing a few of the Evelyns to the ground.

One of the men brought out his knife, and came at Paul from above. Paul used his legs to toss the man over his head before springing from his back to his feet. A few more were left standing, and some were starting to get up.

Paul looked around for something—anything—to use, and his eyes fell upon the manhole cover. Desperate, he dove for it, heaving it off. It was heavier than he'd expected, and took a lot of effort for him to throw.

Just as he was about to hurl the cement disk, a blinding pain came from his shoulder. His vision went red. Paul managed to throw the manhole cover, and guessed he hit some of them. He threw a blind kick towards the one that had knifed him, feeling satisfied at the sound of his shoe connecting with a skull.

Paul blinked spots of pain from his vision. The Evelyns were not done, not even close, but Paul certainly was. He stepped over the moving bodies, gripped Dawn by the arm, and led her away as fast as he could.

He dragged her for longer than he should have. Her panting sobs were too heavy to be healthy, and his shoulder screamed in agony. _Keep going,_ he told himself. _It's not safe. Keep going._

"Uh, Paul? We lost ya," Gary's voice informed him from his ear.

"There's no one showing up, Paul," Ash complained. "Paul? Are you listening to me?"

Paul could not answer. It wasn't safe for Dawn. Not yet.

Finally, when his shoulder decided it was far enough, Paul let go of Dawn and collapsed. The beautiful blunette collapsed alongside him, sounding like she was going to vomit. He pointed away. "Over there, please," he instructed. He took deep breaths, trying to get his energy back.

"Paul? Paul? Gary calling Paul, requesting location and reason for silence. If you do not respond in the next two minutes, we will assume you are either dead or kidnapped and retreat without you." Gary's voice was strained, as if he feared the worst.

"I'm here," Paul gasped.

"Oh my God, don't you _ever_ do that again," Drew snapped, sounding furious. "I actually thought you were dead, you oversize eggplant."

"Where did you go?" Ash wanted to know. "Oh, by the way, turns out we were misinformed. There was no ERP here. No Hermes, either. It was a waste of time."

Paul felt immensely relieved. "I had some lady troubles," he said.

There was silence on the other end. Finally, Drew spoke up. "I don't… get it," he said slowly.

Dawn was still fighting to catch her breath. Paul regarded her plainly. "You're a lot more trouble than you're worth," he called to her.

To his surprise, she found the energy to whip around and glare at him. However, that glare melted into worry as she saw his shoulder. "Oh my God, you're hurt!" She scrambled over to him. "Are you alright? Does it hurt? Whatever you do, don't panic!"

"I'm not panicking, you stupid hypocrite!" snapped Paul. He pushed her away with disgust. "Stop fretting and go home."

She hesitated. "Alone?" she asked in a squeaky voice.

"Yes, al—." Paul broke off, and gazed into her terrified eyes. He could see how scared she was, and that the idea of walking home by herself was completely out of the question. He sighed. "No, I'll walk you."

"Who are you talking to?" demanded Drew.

"Paul, we've got to report back to Cynthia," Gary reminded him.

"I want to know what's going on!" Ash exclaimed.

Paul reached up and took the communicator out of his ear. A wonderful silence greeted him. He looked down at Dawn. "Are you coming?" he asked.

She latched onto his arm like a leech. "Don't you dare leave me, Paul," she said, her voice quaking. "I… I'll kill you if you do."

Rolling his eyes, Paul shook his head at the young girl. "You're amusing, really." They began to walk at a placid, painful pace for Paul's shoulder. "So why did you take the chain?"

Dawn shivered against him, slowly cutting off the circulation to his forearm. "I thought it was for another girl, and I wanted to know who," she admitted quietly.

"You stole something you thought I intended to give to another girl?"

Silently, she nodded.

Paul snorted. "You're really stupid, you know that?"

"Hm?" she said, sounding afraid.

"I find those sort of gifts petty and unnecessary."

Dawn looked up at him indignantly. "Well, _I_ like jewelry," she stated importantly.

"And I like target practice."

"What?"

"Nothing."

They fell into silence. Dawn continued to cling to his arm, her grip loosening from tourniquet to leech. Their path was lit by streetlights, the two completely alone in the night.

Paul stopped and looked down at her. "It might be a good idea to tell me where we're going," he told her.

"Oh," Dawn said, sounding embarrassed. She pointed ahead. "If that's McMillan, then we go left."

The two walked down the street and turned left, and after a quiet stroll, they came to a halt outside a quaint, green roofed house. The lights in the living room were still on, and Paul could see the silhouette of a woman in the window.

"Well, this is it," Dawn announced. There was a strange tone in her voice, as if she were sad they were parting.

"Do you need me to show you where the door is?" he growled.

The girl shied away from him. "Jerk," she mumbled, and she hurried inside. Paul watched the two shadows at the window embrace, the mother cooing over the daughter with worry. He could just imagine the sickening scene inside. There were probably lots of tears and "I love yous" exchanged.

With a final eye roll, Paul pulled out his earpiece to find his team waiting impatiently at the other end.

"Miss me?" he greeted.

"Just tell us where you are, grapey," Drew said exasperatedly.

Paul smirked at his team's behavior. His hand floated up to his shoulder, subconsciously examining the damage. "Better hurry," he said. "I'm injured."

"Why? Did she smack you with her purse?" Ash jeered.

The assassin sighed. "Just get over here."

* * *

Ash turned his key in the lock of his apartment, stepped inside, and flicked on the light.

"Pika!" came the greeting.

He looked around for the source, and his heart nearly stopped. "Oh my God," he breathed, horrified. "Pikachu, what did you _do?_"

Pikachu shook bits of pillow dust from his ears and scampered across the fallen bookshelf and dining table to reach his master. "Pi!" he exclaimed.

Ash's jaw would not close. The damage was unbelievable. The dining table was missing a leg, and the chairs were upside down. His mother's potted plants had been dug out of their pots, the soil littering the ground around them. There were pieces of broken glass near the base of the counter, and he noted that the lamp was missing. Before his very eyes, the TV fell over, landing on what looked suspiciously like his mattress.

"You," Ash said to the mouse, "are in a _lot_ of trouble."

***AN: Looong chappie, but hope you enjoyed it! Hooray for some good, solid Ikari up there! Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night! Oops... wrong holiday, huh? Now, as the next chapter is taking awhile, it may take some time to get up here. So... the wait will be long, but the chapter will be better!*  
**


	9. Chapter 9

_Nine_

Ash lay across the bench, facing the room. He was extremely bored, as was Pikachu. The mouse made this clear by making a nest out of Ash's hat and promptly falling asleep in it. Ash was also not enjoying watching the two Gym Leaders, but Paul had decided he was lacking in man to man skills.

Just because he couldn't beat Drew in a fight meant nothing. Drew was… well, Drew. Now that Ash knew this, there was no point in comparing the two.

Of course, Paul saw every reason to compare Ash to the green haired man.

But if Ash had to watch Roark and Gardenia tackle each other _one more time_, he was fairly certain he would be sick. The two of them had turned the duel into some playful game, flirting mercilessly with each other. Ash could _not_ take it.

"Hey! That's not fair! Give me back my glasses!"

Gardenia giggled. "If you want them, you have to earn them. Show me just how strong you are."

"Ugh," Ash groaned. "Can I leave?"

The two stopped in their wrestling as if they had forgotten he was there. "Oh," said Roark, looking embarrassed. "Yeah, go ahead, s-sorry. Tell Paul I'll sign your paper and drop it in his box, okay?"

"Thank God," Ash said with relief. He scooped up Pikachu and his hat and rushed out of that room like someone was chasing him. The mouse made his way to his shoulder, and he placed his hat on his head. "What do you want to do?" he asked him.

"Pika," he replied. "Chaaa."

Ash rubbed the mouse's yellow ears. "If only I knew what that meant," he said wistfully. His face lit up with an idea. "Why don't we go check on Brock? See how he's warming up to the job?"

Pikachu scratched its ear in response. Ash took that as a yes and headed upstairs to Oak's lab.

"Look at you!" Brock was saying as Ash stepped into the lab. "You're a cute thing, aren't you? Here, look at Brocky! Now, say 'I love you'."

"Piplup!" the unseen thing replied.

Brock sighed. "Not quite, but you're too cute." He handed it something that looked like kibble.

"What's that?" Ash asked, curious.

The man jumped and spun around. "How long were you there?" he demanded.

Ash ignored him. "Whoa! Is that a penguin?" He pranced over to where Brock was, bending down to examine the new creature.

Its fur was icy blue, and its eyes were large and adorable. Between its darker blue flippers it held the kibble, pecking at it repeatedly with its sharp yellow beak. "Piplup!" it exclaimed.

"It's so cute!" Ash cried. "What's its name?"

Brock knelt down beside him. "It's called Piplup," he informed him. "Professor Rowan sent it over for Oak to observe. Apparently it has a lot of new abilities that the Pokemon here don't have."

With a grin, Ash faced him. "So you like your new job?"

"Oh yeah," Brock said certainly. "I mean, I don't get to be around my family as much, but I get to care for animals, sort of, and that's always been my calling."

Ash's grin faded a little. "Have you remembered what you were doing here in the first place?" he inquired.

Sadly, Brock shook his head. "I wish I could. I'm scared that I really work for Tesla, and that at any given moment I could switch sides. I don't want to switch sides; I like it here."

Ash, however, was still a sentence behind. "Tesla? Who's Tesla?" he wondered.

The man looked as if he'd said too much. "Just a… a rival company, that's all," he said dismissively.

But the young assassin had stopped listening. He tore out of the lab, his Pokemon scrambling to stay on his shoulder. As he swung around a corner, he saw a head of blue hair making its way down the hall. Ash sprinted after him, catching up in no time.

"James!" he called, gripping the man by the shoulder.

James panicked and reeled back. "Who? What?" He paused and glared at Ash. "Oh. It's the twerp. What do you want?"

"That company you used to work for," Ash panted, slightly out of breath. "What was it called again?"

The man stared at him. "Tesla. Why?"

Ash grabbed James by the shoulders and shook him. "Was there someone named Brock working there? How much did they experiment with memory blanks?"

"I don't know; I was just a grunt!" cried James.

With a shake of his head, Ash let go of him and raced off. James straightened his clothes, gave a "harrumph," and continued on his way.

"Paul! Paul, Paul, Paul, DREW!" Ash yelled, spying his green headed friend.

Drew whipped around, looking alarmed. "What?" he shouted back.

"Where's Paul?" called Ash.

He flipped his hair before responding. "Getting his bandages changed at the infirmary. Why?"

But Ash was gone before Drew could get an answer.

* * *

"Can't I do it myself?"

"Hush, you cranky boy. It'll never heal if you don't let me do my job."

Paul sighed. Nurse Joy was taking the stitches out of his arm and replacing them with new ones. It was extremely humiliating for the assassin to be treated like a little kid, but this was procedure.

Ash came careening through the doors, knocking down some poor intern as he raced across the room. "PAUL!" he exclaimed loudly, despite the man being only four feet away. "I need to talk to you."

"No one talks to my patient until I'm done," snapped Joy, her eyes never leaving the stitching. She snapped her fingers and pointed to the door. "You will wait outside until I'm finished."

Confused, Ash shook his head and sat down next to Paul. "I think I know what happened to Brock."

"Assassins," Joy grumbled. "Think they run the place."

"Look," Paul said with disinterest, "I'm sure this can wait until I'm done being babied by pinky—ow, watch it!—over here."

Ash shook his head. "No, see, I think Brock—."

"Get out of my hospital!" screamed Nurse Joy.

The two sat in stunned silence, unsure of what to do.

She glared at them, her face a deep, angry red. "Well?" she demanded.

Ash scurried from the room with his tail between his legs. He gave a disdainful look back, only to be shooed by Joy again.

After Paul's arm had been properly stitched up and the bandages reapplied, he left the infirmary to find Ash sitting in the hall, playing with Pikachu. "So what was so important?"

Ash scrambled to his feet. "Okay, so apparently Brock worked at Tesla."

Paul seemed unimpressed. "And you know this how?" he questioned with boredom. He began walking away, Ash trailing after him hopelessly.

"It's true!" he cried, desperate to keep up. "He mentioned Tesla as a rival company. How would he know about Tesla if he didn't work for them?"

"How do _you_ know about Tesla?" Paul said, his expression cold fury.

Ash hesitated. "That's not important—."

"Look," Paul interrupted. "We know he at least worked for a rival company, right? Either that or he had special training. If it's neither of those, he couldn't have gotten in here. Whether or not he's hiding something… well, we can't determine that."

"But I think a memory blank was involved," Ash said in a small voice.

This made Paul stop. "What makes you think that?" he asked carefully.

Ash shrugged nervously. "Intuition?" he tried.

Normally, the boy would have expected scorn from Paul. But the older assassin remained still and contemplating. "If it's a memory blank," he began, "then we can lift it." Paul turned to Ash, his expression unreadable. "Now kid, don't let this go to your head, because it's probably the only time you'll ever hear it, but you're a genius."

This made the boy freeze. "Huh?"

"You're a genius. Now go tell Cynthia your genius idea."

Ash did not move. "Are you serious? Or is this some sort of joke?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Paul hissed, and his face became so dark it was amazing Ash saw it at all.

"No!" squeaked Ash. "I'm telling! Right now!" And away he scampered.

As soon as he was out of sight, Paul glanced at the clock hanging across the hallway. It was hardly past noon. Sighing, he adjusted his jacket and headed for the laboratories.

* * *

Ash burst into Cynthia's office like a bat out of hell. His mother jumped and gave a frightened squeak. "Ash!" she cried. "What's the matter? Is everything alright?"

"No time, Mom," he said, dismissing her. He had important news to deliver, and that made him, by extension, important. "I need to talk to Cynthia."

Nervous, Delia went to the closed door and rapped on it politely. "Cynthia," she called, "my son would like to have a word with you."

Ash took a deep breath. This would be his first meeting with the head of their branch. He'd better make a good impression. This could be the defining moment that would send him on his career to be a Battle Trainer! All his life had been leading up to this moment!

The door opened, and his heart rate quickened. Then, like a gothic angel, she stepped out of her office. Ash felt his nerves gain control, causing him to shake slightly at the sight of Cynthia in her pure black gown and long, flowing blond hair.

She tossed a few bangs out of her eyes and looked at Ash. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Uh," he began, his voice caught somewhere in his throat, "erm, ahem, well, we—I mean, I—well, Paul agrees with me—gah! Anyways, um, Paul and I think that Brock—you know, the new guy who broke in? Yeah. Well, we think he might have had a memory blank, because he mentioned something about Tesla, and… stuff."

Cynthia arched an eyebrow at him. "A memory blank and stuff," she summarized, to which Ash nodded dumbly. The woman sighed and closed her silver eyes. "Alright. Call Fantina and tell her to do a blank check on him. We'll see what we find." And she went back into her office.

She left Ash standing there, dumfounded. Finally, he blinked. "Okay," he said. With that, he exited the office with the intent to find Fantina. Delia sat down, picked up the form she had been filling out, and got back to work.

* * *

"Eh my gawd, you guys, it was like, the coolest thing evar," drawled the gorgeous blond bombshell as she combed her hair.

"Oh em gee, Daisy, no way," replied the pink haired girl. She nudged her sister over in an effort to share the mirror and began fixing her makeup.

A third girl, this one with dark blue hair, pushed her way into view of the vanity and began examining her face. "That's like, totes awes," she said. (Totally awesome for those who were not aware.)

"Ugh, wait your turn, Violet!" exclaimed Daisy, giving her sister a bump. Violet stumbled sideways, and in turn she swung her hips for her place at the mirror. This caused Lily, at the other end of the trio, to lose control of her eyeliner pen and create an ugly black line down her cheek.

Lily gasped at the atrocity on her face. "You guys made me mess up! That's like, not cool!"

"Oh, shut up, Lily," Daisy snapped. "I was like, here first, so you two should like, get out of here so I can beauty myself up."

Behind them, Misty was finding it extremely hard not to laugh. These were her three sisters, the women she intended to learn the secrets of love from. They were truly a sight to behold, cat fighting and bumping each other like they were. Misty lounged on the recliner that her sisters would read on had they enough attention span to focus on a book. Her grin only got wider as she observed her sisters. They were _so_ stupid.

"What are you smirking at?" snapped Daisy, glancing at her in the mirror.

"Nothing," Misty said deviously.

With an obnoxious smack of her lips, Daisy turned around and marched over to her youngest sister. Misty looked up at her, taking in her tight orange sundress. Her usual getup of shorts and oversize sweater looked drab compared to her sister's garish outfit, and the teen felt the urge to lift her hood and cower.

Daisy rolled her eyes at her sister's incompetence. "Misty, if you want to like, get boys and stuff? You have to flaunt what you've got." She smirked. "Not that you have much or anything."

"You take that back!" Misty snapped, threatening her sister with the pillow from the chair. "I do _too_ have stuff!"

The older girl sat down next to her huffing sibling on the arm of the chair and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. You are like, the runt of the litter, after all. But we can totally help you with that, you know? Like, stuffing bras is a really common practice."

Misty tossed Daisy's manicured hand off in disgust. "Ew! You guys are like Dawn on steroids. Get me out of here before I vomit from overexposure to girliness."

"Ugh, you're like, hopeless," Daisy moaned. "Vi, toss me the Pure Romance."

"Huh?" Misty began, confused. Suddenly, her oxygen was replaced with a revoltingly powerful aroma, making her cough and gag. "Daisy!" she managed, her eyes watering.

"There, now you smell presentable," said Daisy proudly. She walked away with one hand holding the perfume bomb and the other resting on her hips.

Misty choked a bit more and left the room, fanning herself with her sweater sleeves. "Nasty," she coughed. Her nostrils were still burning from the smell, and she could not get away from it. _Great,_ she thought. _Now I'm going to smell like this shit all day._

Still choking from the overpowering scent, she went outside. The fresh air did little to mask the perfume, but at least she could count on it fading faster.

The world outside was quiet, and she was quite alone. Misty smiled. Now would be a great time to be at the beach, with the sun high above and beating down on the earth. She missed the feeling of sand between her toes and the hush of the surf lulling her to sleep at night.

For some reason, this brought thoughts of Ash to her mind. She scowled and shook her head. It angered her that this boy had so much power over her, and yet… she did not want to stop thinking of him. He was so adorable, and _so_ nice…

A strange sound broke her girlish thoughts. Misty looked around, searching for the source. It was an odd smacking sound, like footsteps, and it was growing closer, and closer, when—

Misty's vision blacked for a heartbeat as she crashed into the ground. Something rolled off of her, pulled her to her feet, and started dragging her along. It wasn't until her ears stopped ringing and her vision cleared from the collision with the ground that she saw who was leading her.

"Drew!" she exclaimed, sounding a little angry.

"Not who you were hoping for?" he teased, a heavy pant in his voice. "I'm no Ash, but if you don't pick up the pace, we won't be seeing him anytime soon."

"Huh?" she asked. Confusion was evident on her face as Drew pulled her along at breakneck speed. She managed to turn around and was shocked to find that they were being chased. "What the hell's going on?" she demanded.

Drew gave an exhausted laugh, not even slowing down. "I might have pissed some people off," he admitted sheepishly.

Misty swung her head around to observe their pursuers. There were three, large in the muscle-y way, with brutish features and furious expressions on their faces. "And how did you achieve such a feat?" she questioned. Her breath was starting to leave her, but years of breath control (for swimming, of course) gave her an edge.

With a grin, Drew rounded a corner. Misty whipped around wildly, her feet losing their grip for a moment. He took another ridiculously sharp turn, and they pelted down a backstreet. Finally, they made one last turn and came to a stop. Drew let go of her wrist, the both of them panting for air. "They started it," he said with a flip of his hair.

"Sure," she gasped. Misty put her hands on her knees, bending over in an effort to catch her breath. "Let me guess. One of them thought his car was nicer than yours."

To her surprise, Drew shook his head. "I, uh, kinda told him that Mahogany Street was where the sun don't shine when he asked me for directions."

Misty stared at him. "Why on earth would you say that to someone like that?" she asked in bewilderment.

Drew took a deep breath and flipped his hair again. "I'm a bit of an idiot," he admitted. "And it's fun." Unexpectedly, he met her confused eyes with a sly grin. "Do you want to go somewhere?"

"What?"

"I mean, I've got nothing to do, and Ash is getting off work soon," continued Drew. "Why don't we grab him and that cute brunette and have some fun?"

A lovely smile split Misty's lips. "Yeah," she said. "That sounds like fun."

* * *

"A memory check?" asked Fantina. The magenta haired woman smiled warmly. "_Naturellement._ Anything for _l'enfant ch__é__ri._" She touched his cheek.

Ash jerked away slightly at the touch. Sure, Fantina was nice and all, but she was old, and sometimes a little too touchy. "Great. I've got homework to do now, so I'm going home. Tell my mom where I am, and let me know about Brock."

"Of course, _ch__é__ri,_" she cooed. Fantina turned to the purple ghost hovering by her side. "Come, Haunter, let us do a memory check. _Au revoir,_ Ash!" she called.

She whisked away. Ash shuddered. Fantina always made the room feel chilly, perhaps because of the phantoms she surrounded herself with. With a last shake, Ash went to the locker room.

There, he saw Roark, and he gave the Gym Leader a nervous nod. Roark did likewise, and asked of Ash something very strange.

"Uh, y'know… me and Gardenia, right?" he said, sounding embarrassed. "Yeah, yeah, you do, you saw all… that—anyways, I just wanted to ask if you, well, wouldn't tell my dad."

Ash blinked. "Tell Byron? Huh?"

Roark looked at the wall. "Well, he doesn't know she and I are… together. He's… my God this is so awkward." Roark sighed. "Look, just keep it a secret, please?"

The young assassin stared at him, slightly confused. "I guess," he said with a shrug.

"Great!" said Roark, sounding relieved. "I really owe you one.

Ash just nodded. "Sure, whatever." He turned back to his locker and got his cell phone. "Hey, Drew called. Wonder why." Abruptly, Ash looked around. "Hey Roark!" he called to the retreating Gym Leader. "Have you seen Pikachu?"

* * *

Misty stood outside the building ominously titled "the Company." Drew had gone inside to find Ash, and commanded her to wait with May. She wasn't the type who liked waiting. Slow things bored her.

"This place is really creepy," May said, staring up at the building.

"Uh huh," Misty agreed disinterestedly. She was gazing around at the well kept buses, and seriously contemplating kicking one, when something flashed from behind one of them. Legitimately _flashed._

Startled, Misty got down on her hands and knees to examine whatever the thing had been. She peered through the bushes, getting only a glimpse of yellow.

"Uh, Misty? What are you doing on the ground?" May asked her.

"I swear I saw a glowing yellow… thing," she finished lamely.

"A glowing yellow thing," repeated May slowly, skeptical. "Right, sure. I believe that."

Misty rolled her eyes. "I'm not kidding!" she insisted, and she continued to peer through the bushes. "I think it was a giant rat."

"Hey ladies," Drew greeted. He walked through the revolving doors with Ash trailing behind him. "Misty, what are you doing on the ground?"

May smiled slightly. "She thinks your office is infested with giant glowing yellow rats," she explained.

"Where!" Ash exclaimed, kneeling beside Misty. "Where did you see him?"

"Why? Is he a friend of yours?" she asked sarcastically. With a roll of her eyes, Misty stood and brushed herself off. "Boys," she muttered.

"Yeah, Ash," laughed Drew, coaxing the boy to his feet. "Let's leave the radioactive mice alone."

Ash whispered something to Drew that Misty did not catch, and Drew murmured back to him. Misty looked to May for some explanation, but the girl seemed just as confused as she was.

"Ready?" asked Drew, flipping his hair. He jumped into the driver's seat of his mustang with a grin. "May gets shotgun."

May's eyes went wide at the attention. "Me?" she questioned.

"Her?" Ash said identically.

Drew rolled his eyes at the young assassin. "Yes, _her_, you idiot. You get to sit in back with Red over there."

Clearly, Ash did not understand Drew's reasoning in the least. Misty cast the green headed man an exasperated look. Drew shrugged in return, his expression genuinely apologetic. With a sigh, Misty stepped into the backseat. "Let's go, Ash," she ordered.

The remaining three piled into the car, each silent for a very different reason. May was embarrassed beyond speaking as she took the passenger seat. Misty crossed her arms and remained defiantly quiet out of anger at Ash. Ash, on the other hand, could not figure out what was wrong, and thus remained silent.

"Where to?" Drew asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. Silence answered him. "No one?" he tried again. He frowned, and in an effort to break the silence, turned on the radio.

"…three hours ago, Germany declared war on France after a bombing occurred in Berlin. The German military then dispatched a unit of troops to enforce their borders with France," stated the radio announcer. "I would cancel any trips to those countries, if I were you, because this could get ugly."

Drew instantly changed the station. "We don't want to hear about that," he said dismissively, glancing back at Ash. "It'll ruin our fun."

"Yeah, cuz it's too early for that," Misty snorted with a distinct glance at Ash. When he didn't notice, she moved her hair out of her face and looked away. "Why don't we get something to eat? I'm starving."

* * *

The restaurant was loud and crowded, which we all know means the place is good eatin'. The foursome slid into a booth, immediately feeling elated from the excitement buzzing around the place.

"Have you been here before?" Misty nearly yelled to Ash.

He shook his head. "I don't get out much. Work tends to keep me busy."

Misty gaped. "The Company keeps you that busy?" she said in a disbelieving tone.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. It's hard work. Lots of training."

She continued to stare at him. "Training for what? That was an office building."

Uncertain, Ash shrugged. "Well, yeah, but… we've gotta keep fit," he lied feebly.

"Sure," Misty replied, clearly not believing him.

"I'm telling the truth!" Ash insisted.

She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh, whatever."

"Seriously!" he cried indignantly.

Misty smirked, meeting May's eyes with a playful grin. Finally, she was getting some conversation! "I think you're lying to me, Ash," she continued.

Ash stared at her. "Why would I lie?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Uh, gee, I don't know, maybe because you lie to practically everyone else?" she snapped. "I mean, your mom is _not_ sick in the hospital, right?"

The boy looked down. "Well, no, but—."

"And Drew over here is _so_ not your brother, right?"

Drew tried to interject. "Misty, you see, I'm adopt—."

"That's a lie too," she interrupted, glaring. Drew fell silent and took on the look of a kicked dog.

"You can't just start accusing us of lying left and right!" exclaimed Ash. "It's not fair."

"I can do whatever I want," snapped Misty. "And you're right, it's not fair, because I'm a woman and therefore have an advantage over you."

"Oh, so now you're pulling the sexist card?" Ash said, sounding frustrated.

"Yes, I suppose I am." Misty flipped her hair in a superior manner.

Ash narrowed his eyes at her. "You just want me to spew some sexist crap against women so you'll have an excuse to be mad at me."

"Maybe."

The raven haired boy gaped at her. "You're impossible," he decided.

"Am not," she replied.

"Are too!" he insisted.

"Not this game," groaned May.

"I just don't understand why you feel the need to lie to me," Misty said plainly.

Ash stared at her. "I'm not lying to you!" She said nothing. Ash sighed. "Okay, fine, maybe I lied _a few_ times, but—."

"Ah ha!" she cried. "You admit it!"

"I didn't admit to anything!"

"Are you seriously contradicting yourself before even thirty seconds have passed?"

"You two are fighting like a married couple," Drew said idly.

"ARE NOT!" yelled Ash and Misty together, rounding on him.

The waitress appeared, chewing her gum rather obnoxiously despite the noise in the restaurant. "What can I get ya started on?" she inquired with boredom.

Immediately, the atmosphere of the table calmed, and everyone placed their orders. The waitress scribbled them down with the most careless expression she could muster and left them, disappearing into the busyness of the restaurant.

"I hope she hurries," Misty complained. "I'm starving."

"Starving?" Ash laughed. "You don't know the meaning of the word."

Misty gave him a glare. "Well, duh, you're a teenage boy. You live to eat. A lady like myself could never compete."

Ash snorted. "Lady," he scoffed. "Sure."

"You don't think I'm a lady?" she said testily.

"Based off of what I've seen, no, you're not a lady," Ash responded.

May sighed. "So, Drew, how are you doing?" she tried.

Drew grinned. "Fantastic. Did you enjoy the ride in Fabio?"

She blushed. "Yeah."

"A girl can be athletic and still be feminine!" Misty snapped at Ash.

"There is a _huge_ difference between feminine and ladylike," he explained. "You, my dear, are neither."

"Good," Drew continued. He reached for his drink and took a sip. "I was wondering if you'd like to take a look at it for me. It's been making a funny noise, and I'm worried."

May looked up at him. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not a very good mechanic, and… and it'd have to go in the school shop, and I don't trust everyone in there."

He gave her a skeptical look. "Well, if you're that sure—."

"No!" she cried, and he arched an eyebrow. "I mean, maybe I could come over… to your, um, house and look at it there."

"Okay, Ketchum, first off, I am _not_ your dear. And if you ever call me that again, I will tear your head off."

"See?" Ash said. "This is exactly what I mean! A lady wouldn't threaten to take someone's head off, and in fact would be quite flattered to be called a 'dear'." He gave her a knowing look. "And someone who is feminine would threaten to pour corn syrup in my shampoo or something."

At this, Misty chuckled.

Ash smirked, confused. "What's so funny?" he questioned.

"It's just strange to hear guys talk about shampoo," she told him.

This caused him to recoil. "What do you mean?"

Misty smiled. "Well, you know, when girls talk about hair care or perfume or stuff like that, it's totally fine. But when _guys_ do it…"

"You did _not._"

"Oh, I think I did."

"I'm not gay!"

"Your speech says otherwise."

Drew gave May a wink. "That sounds like a much better plan."

May sighed. "Yeah, it is," she agreed. He put his arm over her shoulder, causing her to jump, but she did not protest, and he did not move.

"Gay guys," Ash began tersely, "are _feminine._ You don't seem to know the meaning of the word, therefore, you have no right to accuse me of being so."

"You're hot," Misty told him. "All gay guys are hot." Ash's expression became utterly confused, and before he could retort, Misty continued. "You hang out with girls, like a gay guy, and I bet you can sing, like all gay guys can."

Ash stared at her. "So, because I'm attractive, I'm gay?" he questioned.

"Well," she started, "I _suppose_ my theory could be disproved if you showed inability to sing."

He laughed. "Whew. Good, because I can't carry a tune to save my life."

"Oh yeah?" she said, skeptical. She took a sip from her drink. "Then prove it."

Ash blanched. "Look, I—."

"Your orders are ready," said the waitress. She began placing plates in front of all of them, acting like there was nothing she would rather do less. "If there's anything you need, don't hesitate," she told them, and she left.

Ash and Misty immediately indulged themselves in their meals, much to the amazement of Drew and May. "I've never seen her argue with someone that much," May said softly.

"They are meant for each other," Drew stated with certainty. He picked up a French fry. "Let's enjoy the silence, because we won't have it for long."

***AN: Oh no, TWO DAYS LATE! I can't believe myself! Shame! This chapter took SO many rewrites. I never rewrite stuff. I'm one of those people who says if it ain't perfect the first time, it ain't gonna be perfect. Hope you enjoyed this chapter (cuz it took more work than it should have)!***


	10. Chapter 10

_Ten_

The salt spray of the ocean was refreshing to the man. It had been awhile since he'd been on the water. He had missed it.

He smiled as he leaned on the railing. The wind flapped his jacket around him and ruffled his navy hair. Below, the gray waves of the sea sloshed against the boat. It was cold and stormy, out at sea, but the closer they got to the mainland, the more the atmosphere looked like summer.

"Mr. Maple, sir," called a voice, and the man turned to see one of the crew standing attentively. He saluted, looking extremely professional in his uniform. "The captain wanted me to inform you that we will be docking in two hours, sir."

"Excellent," replied Mr. Maple.

The uniformed man saluted again, his expression now embarrassed. "S-sir," he began, "it's not often we have someone as high ranking as a Gym Leader on board, and since I am not eligible to become a Trainer, I was wondering if…"

Mr. Maple laughed. "You want to see my Pokemon?" he asked.

"If that's alright with you, sir," the man replied.

With a smile, Mr. Maple produced a pokeball from his coat. "Go, Slaking," he said, and he tossed the ball in the air.

From the beam of red light, a great brown beast appeared. Dark, tired circles adorned its eyes, and the creature gave an enormous yawn.

"He doesn't do much," said Mr. Maple, giving the thing a pat on the head, "but he can be fierce when he wants to be."

"Wow," breathed the seaman.

Mr. Maple looked towards where the mainland would soon be in sight. "He'll be hard to hide once I get home," he stated. "My family won't enjoy having him around. I'll have to leave him at the Company. The Professor should care for him."

The sailor's countenance was confused. "Your family isn't in the Company?"

With a sad smile, Mr. Maple shook his head. "I could never drag them into it. They would hate me. That's why I work at the Hoenn branch. It's one hell of a commute, but it's worth it." He returned his Slaking without emotion. "Two hours, you said?"

The sailor straightened up. "Yes sir," he confirmed.

"Good," stated Mr. Maple. "I'm going to take a nap."

* * *

"What's the matter with him?" asked Paul, nodding to Ash.

Drew set down his magazine and glanced at the boy. "Oh," he said without interest. Ash was lying on the table, staring at the ceiling with a kind of dazed expression on his face. Drew went back to his reading. "He's been like that ever since last night."

"Why? What happened last night?" inquired Gary. He was standing at his lab table, fiddling with some sort of contraption that his grandfather had given him.

The green haired man shrugged. "All we did was go on a date."

At this, Gary dropped his screwdriver. "You?" he scoffed. "And Ash? Went on a _date?_"

"No, you idiot, we took girls with us," snapped Drew. "Misty and May. We went out to dinner."

Paul's eyes went wide. "Are you crazy?" he exclaimed.

"Slightly," Drew admitted.

"Ash is star struck!" cried the assassin. "Look at him. How am I supposed to train him now that he's smitten with some tomboy?"

"I'm not smitten!" Ash called, casting them a glare. "I don't even like Misty! She's annoying, and mean, and loud."

"And pretty, and funny, and totally into you," replied Drew, his voice dripping sarcasm. "But hey, whatever floats your boat, man."

Ash merely glared at him and reverted back to watching the ceiling.

Paul shook his head. "Get up," he ordered.

"Me?" Ash asked.

"Yes, you, now up. We're going to do some training." Paul left the room in a brisk fashion. Ash stared after him for a moment before scrambling up and following. Drew and Gary were left alone in the room.

Gary hesitated. "So… you went on a date with May?"

"I did," replied Drew.

The researcher paused again. "Did you take Fabio?"

"Can it, Oak."

* * *

Paul eyed the stopwatch in his hands and growled. "Not fast enough," he said.

Ash came stumbling up to him, panting. "What do you mean?" he gasped. "That was a quarter mile in under a one thirty!"

"And mine is under a one twenty," Paul snapped. He pointed sternly. "Again!"

Ash, however, stood up straight and looked him firmly in the eye. "If yours is under a minute twenty, then prove it," he demanded.

"I don't need to prove anything to you," replied his superior.

"Then I don't need to run," Ash reasoned smugly.

Paul scowled. "I have a certain ball of magma that says otherwise," he said. "Would you like to argue with him?"

With a look to rival Paul's usual expression, Ash went over to the starting line again. "Last time," he said to the assassin.

Shaking his head, Paul clicked the stopwatch. "Whatever." He need his secret weapon ready by the start of summer, and time was ticking. "We're doing stealth after this!" he called after Ash.

* * *

May looked up at the clock. It was nearly five. Smiling, she threw her grease rag down and hurried to the office in the shop.

"Mr. Simms?" she called, poking her head in.

The sleeping teacher jumped into consciousness. "May!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. He calmed down slightly, and rearranged a few papers on his desk for the sake of it. "Are you… are you leaving?" he asked.

"Yep," she said. "See you on Monday!"

"O-okay," he replied. He shook his head, embarrassed at having been asleep, and began organizing his desktop.

May raced out into the parking lot excitedly. Her scarlet car was waiting for her, resting in its spot faithfully. Granted, her three friends hadn't been happy at the idea of walking to Dawn's, but May had more important things going on today.

She stepped into the driver's seat, wishing the car roof could be pulled down. It was such a fabulous day, and it seemed criminal to breathe air conditioning over fresh air. With a sigh, May started rolling down all the windows. It was nothing close to a convertible, but it was all she had.

With the summer wind flowing through her car, May vroomed out of the parking lot. There wasn't much traffic going by the school, and the girl did not feel guilty about speeding on a day like this.

Still, it felt like an eternity before she pulled up in her driveway. She saw the garage door was open, with her mother inside. "Mom!" she called, locking the doors. "Is he here yet?"

Caroline, May's mother, was getting something out of the freezer they kept in the garage. "Not yet, honey, but he will be."

May gave a groan of frustration. "He said he'd be here by five!" she whined.

Her mother lifted a package of beef from the depths of the freezer. "Well," she began, "this just gives me more time to prepare dinner. Want to help?"

With a shrug, May followed her into the house.

Inside was a scene the brunette had become extremely familiar with. The sliding glass door leading to the backyard was open slightly, allowing the summer air to waft inside. The blue couch rested in front of the television, as pristine as ever. Under her bare feet, the rug was fluffy and thick, and extremely clean. Across the room, a boy with navy blue hair sat in front of a computer.

"Max, don't you think you should do something more productive with your time?" May called as she walked past him into the kitchen.

"This _is_ productive," he argued without looking away from the screen. "I'm learning about DNA transcription and playing WOW at the same time."

May rolled her eyes. "Impressive." She began removing spices from the cabinet. "Dad should be home soon."

"I know," he replied. He adjusted his glasses and kept playing. "He's later than usual."

"Who's late?"

The two spun around with a synchronized gasp. "DAD!" they cried, and they ran to him, attacking him with hugs as if they were little children.

The navy haired man grinned, embracing his two children. "Hey kids!" he greeted enthusiastically. "Didja miss me?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Max replied, fixing his glasses.

"Look!" exclaimed May. She brandished some paper with evident excitement. "I won tickets to see that one movie in a radio contest! We can all go without having that awkward leftover ticket!"

"And remember that competition I told you about over the phone?" Max said. "Well, I won! My robot got first!"

"Slow down!" cried their father. "Where's your mother?"

"Norman!" cried Caroline, rushing into the room. "Oh my goodness, darling, I missed you so much! How was the trip?"

Norman smiled and kissed his wife. "It was all wonderful, sweetheart, and I missed you too. And I've got great news."

His family huddled around eagerly.

"I've been transferred!" he practically shouted.

The Maples cheered, making the ceiling fan overhead quake slightly. "Finally!" Caroline said gratefully.

"Now we'll see you every day," stated May, looking thrilled.

"Forget this dinner," laughed their mother. "We're going out to eat."

As everyone raced to Norman's sleek Volvo, he lagged behind. From his pockets he produced a gleaming red and white ball. "Later, Slaking," he murmured to it, and he dropped it in a vase that was sitting on the dresser.

"Hurry up, Dad!" yelled Max.

"Coming!" Mr. Maple replied. Tomorrow, he was to meet the newest recruit of the Company, and begin helping with training.

He'd been told the boy had a Pikachu.

* * *

Flint and Paul stood side by side, watching Ash and Pikachu practice. "Why are you here?" growled the purple haired man.

Flint snickered. "You looked lonely."

Paul merely glared in response.

"Don't you know me well enough by now?" Flint asked. When Paul remained silent, Flint resigned. "Fine. We want your team to take a break from missions so you can prep for Ash's final assessment."

"It's not _that_ important," Paul retorted.

"This one is," Flint argued. "You guys get to make Riley proud and steal from Dr. Richardson himself."

This made Paul flinch. "Why him? What are we stealing?" he inquired, his tone betraying his nerves.

"This." Flint flicked his wrist, and a paper was suddenly in his hands.

"What a wonderful trick," Paul snapped. He went to snatch it from him, but Flint was faster. "Now what is it?"

Flint smirked. "You heard that war broke out between Germany and France, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, this little device right here—," Flint flashed him the photo again, "will decide whether or not our lovely country gets involved."

The assassin narrowed his eyes. "I don't understand," he said slowly.

"It's a weapon," explained Flint, no longer playing games. "A weapon devised by Richardson that he intends to launch on his own country. It will kill thousands of people, and the blame will be put on Germany, naturally. Therefore, we will be at war with a country that didn't even attack us."

"It won't work unless Germany has a chance against us," Paul snapped. "Attacking us is like a suicide mission."

"But they do," murmured Flint. "Didn't you hear? Spain, Hungary, and even the UK got dragged into it, and they're on Germany's side. We can't fight Britain."

"How the hell did England get into this?" cried Paul.

Flint frowned. "I _think_ it had something to do with them owing the Germans an insane amount of money. And, let's face it, no one likes America. There's a possibility that the Germans will want to bring us into the war on France's side, just so they can destroy the both of us."

"And in a war against the U.S., almost every country will jump to Germany's defense if there's a chance of us losing," Paul said with realization. He stared at the image of the weapon. "Holy shit. We can't let that happen."

The redhead nodded. "And you know what happens to the Company in the event of war, right?"

Paul nodded solemnly. "All the Gym Leaders are called out to do espionage."

"Someone wants to bring the Company down," Flint said. He watched as Ash shouted something to Pikachu, who in turn created an electric pulse so powerful it lit up the entire arena. "He needs to be ready soon." He began walking away. "Call up your team, and whatever you do, _don't fail._"

Silently, Paul watched him go, a look of anger on his face. He did not fail. He was the best assassin the Sinnoh branch had to offer. He _did not fail.

* * *

_

As Ash made his way up to the briefing room, Fantina stopped him. Her presence caused the air to go cold and chills to run up his spine, but Ash forced himself to be still.

"Ah, _cheri,_ remember that blank check you wanted me to run?" she said airily.

Ash blinked. "Yeah, what were the results?"

Fantina gestured to the ghost hovering behind her. "Haunter was able to pick up that _oui_, he had indeed been blanked, but…" She trailed off.

"But?" Ash prompted, motioning for her to go on.

"Regrettably, it was an incredibly strong blank, and we could not get past it," she finished. "I am sorry, _cheri,_ but I did my best."

A look of disappointment came over the young assassin. "Damn. Well, I suppose there's nothing we can do. All blanks wear off eventually, right?"

Fantina's expression was uncertain. "More or less," she said.

Ash grinned. "It should be fine then. I gotta go. Paul is a-calling." He began trekking up the hall. "See ya, Fantina!" he shouted.

She waved with elegance as he disappeared around the corner. "Come, Haunter," she cooed. "Candice invited us to play that dancing video game."

Ash continued up the hallway, lollygagging. His training had been extremely progressive today. Pikachu had been having trouble learning, but abruptly, something had given way and the mouse had unlocked an insanely powerful electric move. Ash felt he and his little partner deserved a rest.

Of course, Paul had other ideas.

"At the beginning of summer," he began, pacing before them as if he were a war general, "we will perform the most important mission of our lives."

"Operation: Model Boat," Drew snickered.

"No," Paul said, and his voice had such a tone that Drew fell silent, even his smile fading. His team waited with bated breath as Paul paused, uncertain as to how to tell them. "We're stealing from Dr. Kurt Richardson."

Gary, who had been taking a drink from his water bottle, choked. "S-sorry?" he managed.

"Who's Dr. Richardson?" Ash wondered.

The scientist of the group looked at Ash with an appalled countenance. "You don't _know?_" Gary gasped.

Ash was suddenly aware of how everyone was staring at him, and shrunk down in his chair. "It's not like it's common knowledge or anything!" he snapped.

"He's considered the smartest man in the country," Drew told him. "He is, in the most literal of terms, a genius."

"Why would we steal from someone so pristine?" Gary wondered, gazing at Paul.

Paul sighed and handed him the picture Flint had shown him. "This," he began, "is a weapon that will soon be responsible for thousands of deaths if we don't steal it."

The three crowded around the photo, eager to catch a glimpse of the weapon.

"Whoa," said Ash, eyes wide. "It's like something out of Halo."

"Truly a work of genius," Gary remarked.

Drew raised an eyebrow. "What does it do?"

Everyone paused. "What does it… do?" Paul repeated.

"Yeah. How does it kill people?" Drew rephrased.

The three looked at their leader expectantly. Paul sighed. "Flint!" he called as he exited the room.

* * *

Ash and Gary were sitting in one of the labs, on top of the table. School had yet to start, and both of them were trying to understand why they had arrived at the wretched place so early.

"So!" Ash began awkwardly, trying to start a conversation. "How goes it?"

Gary blinked blearily. "How goes it? What, are we in the eighteenth century now?"

"Fine!" snapped the younger boy. "What's up, Gary?"

"Nothing much," replied the scientist.

Ash rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You're a lot of fun to talk to, you know that?" he told him sarcastically.

Gary shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you going to ask Misty out?" he asked.

To Gary's surprise, Ash became defensive. "Why would I ask her out? That's crazy! What gave you that idea? Is Drew spreading rumors?"

"Jeez, Ashy boy, I just asked if you were gonna ask her out!" Gary exclaimed.

Ash fell silent, unable to think of a retort. Another awkward quiet passed between them, until finally the raven haired boy spoke. "What about you and Leaf?"

"I suggest you put a sock in it before I call Drew over to kick your ass," Gary said calmly.

"I heard my name!" called a voice, and Leaf entered the room.

Ash smirked and dropped off the table. "See ya," he said to Gary, clapping him on the knee. "I've got some grammar worksheet for Marks to do." And with that, he left.

Timidly, Leaf approached Gary, smiling slightly. "So," she began, looking everywhere but Gary, "Misty's party is coming up and I was wondering if, well, you know, you'd like to come with me again because… because I had a lot of fun last time and I just think it'd be really nice if you'd come so… will you come?"

Gary hopped off the table. Leaf blushed under his gaze, rearranging her grip on her binder as he looked at her. "Yeah!" he said enthusiastically. "I—I'd love to come with you. It'd be really, really…" He trailed off, suddenly realizing just how close he was to her. "Fun," he finished softly. Almost instinctually, Gary placed his arm around her waist, drawing her ever closer. His other hand went to stroke her hair, and he found himself leaning down.

It almost scared him when their lips met. He'd never expected this to actually _happen._ It was the sort of thing he'd only dreamed about, only wished for. And yet here they were, he and Leaf, pressing their lips together in a soft, much wanted kiss…

A crude ringing noise caused them to jump apart. The bell had rung, and the halls were buzzing with activity as students bustled to get to class. Leaf took a deep breath and attempted to cool her heated face. "Well," she gasped, "I… suppose I'd better go to Lit class."

Gary blinked. "Oh yeah. Forgot." His lips were still tingling with life. "I—I'll see you later, I guess."

Leaf smiled nervously as she headed out the door. A sense of dread was just starting to creep into Gary—what if she hadn't wanted to kiss?—when Leaf popped back in. "I think May and all the others can live without me for one afternoon," she told him. "Are you doing anything today?"

Immediately, Gary brightened. "I've got a few personal days left at work," he said happily.

She smirked, her face thrilled. "See you then," she said with a wink, and then she was gone.

* * *

May's jaw had hit the floor a few minutes ago and still had not closed. This only made Leaf blush even more. "Stop it," she mumbled.

"But this is big news!" she exclaimed, slamming her hand down on her Literature book. They had a work day in Literature, which basically meant gossip hour. The entire classroom was chatting, everyone too caught up in their own conversations to hear anyone else's. "I mean, what will the others say?"

"For God's sake, don't _tell_ them!" Leaf cried quietly. May had gotten her phone out, prepared to text. Her face fell at Leaf's words. "I'll tell them myself."

May sighed disappointedly and put her phone away. "Fine. But if they don't know by the end of the day, I'm putting it on Facebook."

Leaf shook her head and attempted to answer the questions before her. "Oh," she added, "I almost forgot. I'm… going on a date tonight, I suppose, so I won't be riding with you guys."

The girl could practically hear her friend's jaw hit the desk. May had her phone out again in a heartbeat. "You _gotta_ let me tell them this!" she insisted.

"_No!_" Leaf hissed. "I'll do it, I promise. Just… drop it for now, okay?"

May pouted. "But _why?_ This is like, the biggest thing since Dawn's first boyfriend!" She paused. "Whoa. Dawn's the only one of us to have a boyfriend."

"No, Misty had that date with… what was his name?" Leaf wondered, snapping her fingers as she fought to remember.

"Rudy!" they stated together. The two broke down in fits of giggles as they remembered Rudy.

"He was such a weirdo," May laughed.

Leaf smiled before facing her Literature book with a grimace. "Okay, we _really _need to do this," she said firmly.

"Aw, you're no fun," complained her friend. May grabbed her pencil and began staring at the paper in front of her. A whole minute passed before she tossed the pencil away. "This isn't happening."

"Nope," agreed Leaf, bouncing her pen across the desk.

* * *

Paul stormed into his office. Granted, it was a small, rather unimpressive office, but it _was_ his, and it always made him feel important to storm into it. If only it were big enough for a secretary…

The moment Paul closed the door, he saw the man sitting politely in the guest chair. He was turned around in an effort to see Paul enter the office. "Who are you?" Paul demanded.

"I'm Norman," the man stated, standing up and extending his hand. "I'm the new Gym Leader for the Sinnoh branch."

Paul, however, did not acknowledge Norman's hand, and instead met his cheerful expression with the signature Paul look. "Oh," he said. "The transfer."

Norman smiled nervously. "Yes, that's me. I'm also the newest member of your team."

At this, Paul let out a laugh. "That's funny, really. But I'm not accepting any new members now," he explained, as if this were totally ridiculous. Paul made to go to his seat, only to be stopped by Norman.

"I don't think you understand," Norman said slowly. His voice had gone soft and dangerous. "I'm here to help you execute your next mission. And to assess the Ketchum boy."

Paul's amused look went icy in a heartbeat. "I don't need help," he growled.

"That's not for you to decide," Norman replied.

Paul glared up at the taller man. "You're from Hoenn, right?" Paul asked. "I've been there. It's unorganized, and Steven—."

"Steven Stone is a fantastic Champion," Norman interrupted. "His Skarmory and Metagross are some of the most powerful Pokemon in the Company, and without him we never would have developed the Enigma Stone."

Paul waited until he had finished before picking up where he'd left off. "Steven," he began, this time in a harsher tone, "spends too much time with his Pokemon and not enough with the Trainers. He's distant from the people in his branch, so it all runs amok. We do things differently here. The Gym Leaders don't have all the power. Some of the Battle Trainers can decide what happens on their team." He paused. "_I _am one of them. And I don't want you here."

"But I do."

It took all of Paul's control not to shoot Flint. "Are you fucking kidding me," he huffed.

Flint entered the tiny office, making it uncomfortably crowded in the small space. "Norman is one of the best Gym Leaders in the whole company," he said to Paul, who looked away angrily. "I want him to help get Ash ready for the big mission at the beginning of summer."

Paul let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine," he said forcefully. He refused to meet anyone's eyes, his pride injured and stubborn streak broken. "Now get out of my office."

Flint and Norman exchanged amused expressions. "Office," Norman chuckled, and the two left.

***AN: Holy cow, I had ROMANCE in this chapter! Yay for 2 AM romance writing! Boo not being a chapter ahead of my updates! Anyways, thank you for clicking, reading, and reviewing. Don't expect a speedy update, cuz I gotta write the darn chapter. Usually I've got like four chapters of leeway but not anymore. Well, that's all. Bye.***


	11. Chapter 11

_Eleven_

Ash looked around as best he could. He could not fully move his head, as if it were restrained. All around, blurred shapes were mumbling incoherent things. The boy could discern nothing being said, nor could he tell who his captors were.

And yet, he was not scared. Ash had the reassuring feeling that he knew these people, and that whatever they were doing was necessary. He _thought_ he saw his mother, but he was not sure.

Suddenly, one of the shapes came into focus, and he recognized Misty. He frowned, realizing she was dressed in a lab coat, a clipboard in her hands. She was speaking urgently to a blurred blob, continually brushing her orange hair behind her ear.

_That's odd,_ Ash thought. _I've never seen her with her hair down before. It's kinda cute._

Misty abruptly looked away from the blob and met Ash's eyes. For some reason, her gaze made Ash go cold, and he fidgeted in his seat.

She came and knelt next to him, her face displaying a serious expression Ash had never seen her wear. "Are you ready?" she asked him placidly, and her voice sounded strange, leaving Ash wondering if it was really her speaking to him.

Nevertheless, he nodded as best he could with his head strapped in place. Misty grabbed something that glinted in the fluorescent lighting and inserted it in Ash. A bright light quickly overtook his vision. The mumbling of the blurs got louder now that he could not see them, and then, the light intensified.

Ash jumped into wakefulness, panting with fright. He'd had that dream before, certainly, but the part with Misty was new.

"Pika!"

Startled, Ash looked down to see Pikachu glaring furiously at him, his little yellow arms folded in a gesture of anger. "What?" Ash asked.

"Pi _pi_ pika," complained the mouse.

"I move too much when I sleep?" he interpreted, staring at Pikachu in bewilderment. "You're one to talk! Every time you have a bad dream, _I_ get electrocuted! Not the best way to be woken up at two AM."

"Cha!" argued the Pokemon.

"Oh yeah? Well 'cha' you too," Ash snapped. He snuggled back down in his blankets. When he had discovered he was able to understand Pikachu, he'd thought it was the coolest thing since skateboards. Now, he longed for Pikachu's indecipherable babble. Hearing his Pokemon cuss him out every time he pissed it off (which, incidentally, happened a _lot_) was not fun.

However, he now had more pressing things to think about. Like the dream, and why Misty had been in it.

_Maybe tomorrow,_ Ash thought as he yawned. He pulled his blankets up closer and let his eyes shut, slipping back into the sweet unconsciousness of sleep.

* * *

"Gary!" Paul shouted, causing the researcher to jump. "Where were you yesterday?"

Gary blanched. "I, uh, had a Chemistry project," he said.

"A project that leaves bruises on your neck?" Paul inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Embarrassed, Gary reached up to cover the marking on his neck. "Yeah, you see, I was distracted, so I mixed the wrong chemicals and the beaker exploded, and a piece of it hit me."

Paul continued to scrutinize him before talking again. "Well, since you missed yesterday, this is Norman." Paul held out his hand, gesturing to the older, navy haired man. "He's our newest team member."

"Hoenn guy," Drew clarified for Gary.

"Oh yeah," said Gary, recognition in his eyes. "I remember you. How's Birch?"

"I think he went a whole week without running over a squirrel last month," Norman replied, earning a chuckle from the Gary.

"Who's Birch?" Ash questioned curiously. "Does he run over squirrels often? I don't get it."

"It's not important," Paul said, cutting off Norman as he was about to explain the joke to Ash. "What's important is that we start planning our mission."

"Why is this one so much different than all the others?" Drew asked lazily. "Don't we usually wing these things?"

Ash nodded in agreement. "Yeah, why all the advance planning?"

"Were you guys even listening on Sunday?" Paul said in exasperation.

"The part about this being the biggest mission we will ever perform? Or the part about your model boat?" wondered Drew.

Norman snickered lightly, finding humor in all this.

"You're not helping," Paul told him.

"You didn't want me to help," Norman replied.

Paul sighed, massaging his eyes. "Okay, guys, listen. We need to plan this out _now_ so we can do trial runs in the Maze." He went over to the wall, where a large paper was pinned. "This is a layout of Richardson's building. We need to plan out a route so we can set it up here, in the Company, and practice what we'll do, understand?"

"Aw, but the Maze is so stupid!" Ash complained.

Paul shot him a death glare, causing Ash to shrink back and revert to silence.

Drew kicked his chair back and put his feet up on the table. "I think we should enter through the main doors," he stated.

"Are you _stupid?_" said the other four.

"I prefer 'crazy,' or 'daring,'" Drew said, smiling.

Paul stared at him incredulously. "No," he said, as if this were remarkably obvious. "We're going to disable the security as best we can, and then go in through an entrance that's _not_ blatantly obvious."

At this, Drew raised his hand, like a boy in school. Paul rolled his eyes. "I'd like to make a request and put Gary in the sewer this time," Drew informed them.

Gary blanched. "No," he said firmly.

Paul, however, looked as if he were considering this. "You _did _miss the briefing yesterday," he reminded him.

"That was _one_ time!" cried the researcher. "Drew's missed _way_ more than me!"

"But he was here yesterday," Ash pointed out.

"Why are you taking _his _side?" Gary hissed at him.

"As long as it's against you, I'm for it," replied the assassin.

Seething, Gary turned his attention back to the front of the room and fell silent.

There was an awkward silence, broken only by Paul. "Okay. Ash, you and I will draw out the route. Gary, I want you to research security, and Drew, go to the lab and see what Oak has for us in terms of equipment."

Gary and Drew nodded and left the room.

"Norman," Paul sighed, frustrated. "Uh, I suppose you can help Ash and me."

Norman just smiled. "Righto."

With a roll of his eyes, Paul pulled out a magic marker. "So, we should start with the security system…"

* * *

Drew entered the lab with a flip of his hair. "Hey, Oaky, whatcha got for us this time?" he called.

The professor turned around. "Oh, Drew, good evening!" he greeted, whipping off his glasses. "I suppose Paul sent you?"

"He's the only one who can," Drew replied. He stepped over to the lab table Oak was at. Brock and Leonard were working a few yards away. "Yo guys," he said.

"Hi Drew!" Leonard exclaimed. He was cupping his Sentret in his hands. "Isn't she adorable?"

Brock grinned. "We're working on fish now," he informed Drew.

"That's… totally cool," Drew murmured sarcastically. He drummed his hands across the table. "Anyways. We're breaking into Richardson's and I was wondering what sort of weapons you'd had in mind."

"Oh, well, it all depends on the route you're going to take. Who's planning it?" Oak inquired.

"Paul and Ash," Drew told him. He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Cuz Ash is the 'secret weapon.'" He said these last words with air quotes.

Something broke over by Brock and Leonard. Immediately Drew and Oak looked up, concerned. "Is everything alright, boys?" Oak asked.

"Oh, yes sir," Brock called over his shoulder. "I just dropped a beaker."

The other two shrugged it off. "Anyways," continued the professor, "if you're going in through a window, you'll want an SE and then a WCI. Once you're in, it'll take…"

"Brock, are you feeling alright?" Leonard asked worriedly as the others continued discussing infiltration plans.

Brock grinned at his friend. "Yeah, don't worry. Dropping the beaker kinda scared me." He looked down at his shaking hands. "Perhaps I shouldn't handle anything breakable."

"You can take a break," Leonard told him, concern evident on his face. "I'll finish with the fish."

Brock gave a laugh. "You just want to name it," he snickered.

Leonard smiled sheepishly. "Well, that too."

"I'll take a break if you tell me what you're going to call it," Brock offered.

"Fine," Leonard surrendered. He looked positively ecstatic, and pursed his lips as if trying to hold it in as long as he could. "Magikarp," he said finally.

Brock nodded with a smile. "Fitting, since it so far doesn't do anything," he acknowledged.

"Just wait," Leonard told him. "I've got a good feeling about this one."

* * *

Misty and Dawn wore identical expressions of shock, their jaws as low as May's had been. The four were at May's house, hiding out in her blue room and discussing their latest escapades. "And then?" Dawn pressed, pleading for details.

Leaf shifted uncomfortably. "And then we… kinda…" She touched her lips nervously.

Misty reeled back, laughing in her shock. "No _way!_" she exclaimed. "Not only did Gary have the guts to ask you on a date, but he had the courage to make out with you!"

"I didn't say 'make out,'" Leaf snapped, suddenly defensive.

"Sure," Dawn said slowly. Playfully, she pointed out the red mark on Leaf's neck. "And that's not a hickey."

"It's not!" Leaf protested, now clutching her neck.

"Well, now that Leaf has her man," Misty began, "it's time for the rest of us to get a move on. I mean, we were outdone by a geek!"

"You are the meanest girl in the world," muttered Leaf, who was currently turning several shades of red.

Misty grinned. "I've got to keep my reputation," she said simply.

"I wonder how I'll get Paul," Dawn said. Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling as she brainstormed ideas.

"May has a date this Friday," Misty remembered, whipping around to look at the fourth member of their group.

Cautiously, May scooted back farther on her bed. "It's not really a _date,_" she argued softly.

"Oh, it _totally_ is," Dawn replied certainly. "You're going to a guy's house to look under his hood." She paused. "Well, normally it'd be the other way around, but either way, you're going to a guy's house alone."

"Sh!" May hissed, looking around warily. "My parents will hear you!"

With a grin, Misty twirled around and sat down hard next to May, causing the bed to jolt slightly. She draped her arm over her friend's shoulders, intentionally making her uncomfortable. "May, May," she said in a pitiful tone, "they're going to find out sooner or later. And dating guys isn't sacrilege. Neither is touching them." To make her point, Misty leaned closer to her.

May threw her arm off in disgust. "Do you _like_ to annoy me?" she snapped.

"Yes," all three answered.

Angered, May crossed her arms and focused on a hole in her sock. "You guys are mean," she huffed.

"You know what we need to do?" Dawn said, smirking.

"Oh no," moaned Misty.

"Shopping!" cried the blunette.

"I _do_ need shoes," Leaf remarked.

"And I need to torment Misty for a few hours," May stated. "Let's go."

Misty fell back on the bed, her arm over her face. "No!" she whined. "I don't _want_ to shop!"

"Ash will like you more if you shop," Dawn argued.

"Guys hate going shopping," snapped Misty. "Your argument makes no sense."

Dawn sagged with exasperation. "Come _on,_ Misty, please? I've got a flashy new credit card and it's burning a hole in my pocket!" She stepped over to the bed and proceeded to yank her friend off. "Please please please please please _please?_"

"Please please please no?" Misty said back. She simply laid there as Dawn attempted to drag her off. Despite Dawn's most strained efforts, Misty did little more than budge.

Eventually, Dawn gave up and folded her arms crossly. "Fine. You can stay here with Max, then." She spun around. "Come on, girls."

"Bye—!" Misty broke off. "Wait, _Max?_ Hold on, Dawn! I'm coming!"

* * *

Ash stood with Pikachu outside a rather formidable wall. "Paul!" he called. "What do I do?"

Paul appeared beside him, his pokeballs in hand. "A bird would be nice…" he observed.

"Can't we use a grappling hook?" asked Ash.

"Drew and I tried that last time," said Paul. "It didn't work."

"How does it _not_ work?" Ash said, astounded.

Annoyed, Paul swung his head around to look at him. "There's no window, and I can't throw that high, can you?"

Ash gave Paul a sideways glare. "Well, sorry, I mean, it's not like I knew." He paused. "Then why are we trying the roof?"

"Because it has the least security!" snapped Paul.

"Ne ne ne," Ash mocked, looking abashed.

"DREW!" Paul yelled.

"Ow," came Drew's voice from their earpieces. "My God, Paul, I'm right here. What do you want?"

"Go get us a bird from Oak," he instructed.

"But I don't _want_ to," Drew whined.

"You sound just like Gary," Paul teased. "Speaking of which, where _is_ Gary?"

Ash started snickering.

Paul stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Ash snorted. "Just a… cartoon reference."

"Fine, I'll get your stupid bird," Drew complied, and they heard a chair scraping as he left the observation room.

"So, do you guys still want to go this route?" Norman asked. "Or would you like to try my suggestion?"

"We cannot go through any of the ground entrances because we do not know what sort of security they have," Paul said through gritted teeth.

They could hear Norman smirking. "But we could cut the power to the building and—."

"I though we went over this," Paul muttered, his tone irritated and getting slightly higher with each word.

Ash, however, had been concentrating on Norman's words, and suddenly had an idea. "But it could work!" he cried, grinning at Paul. Before the assassin could interrupt, Ash plowed on. "See, we could stage a power outage through the city for just long enough to get us past security. It's summer. No one will question it, cuz they'll be outside."

"And even if they're not, power outages are very common in the summer," Norman supplied.

"The place will have backup security," Paul argued.

"Won't we be facing security anyways?" questioned Ash. "I mean, backup security is never as good as the real stuff. We should be able to skirt it no problem, right?"

Paul hesitated. He did not like the idea. Too many things could go wrong. The power could come back on, the building could be on its own generator, there could be _way_ more security than they were anticipating, any number of things. And yet with his own plan, there were similar flaws.

Grimacing, Paul looked up at Ash. The kid was grinning eagerly, apparently pleased with the plan he had formed. And it _was_ Ash's assessment. Paul needed to let him take control for at least some of it.

_Besides,_ he thought, smiling slightly. _We have Pikachu. He can take care of anything electric._

Paul was more than a little shocked to notice the little rodent staring at him knowingly, as if it knew he was thinking about it. "So?" Ash pressed. "What do you think?"

Pikachu and Paul's eyes remained locked as the assassin answered. "I think we should try it."

* * *

The man stood at the window, staring out at the dreary landscape before him. Rain raced down the window, the droplets absorbing each other and leaving sketchy trails in their wake. His red hair was rather messy today from the several times he had run his hand through it, though it was a welcome splash of color against his black Champion attire.

A young girl with purple hair came flying into the room, her pink scarf flapping out behind her. "Lance!" she cried urgently.

Lance drew his eyes away from the window and looked at the girl. "Yes, Janine?" he inquired somberly.

"We've searched the whole city," she reported, her eyes fearful. "No sign of him."

Lance's eyes lost what little light they'd had. "Very well." He sighed heavily. "I don't like to broadcast that we lost a Gym Leader, but it seems we have no choice." Lance paused, clearly deliberating with himself. "Go to the police and tell them we have a man missing. Tell Blaine to send a message to the other branches to be on the lookout for him."

"Yes sir," Janine obeyed, and she sped out of the room again.

Lance watched her go before turning back to the window. The past three months had been a nightmare with their Gym Leader gone. Clearly, it wasn't going to get any better.

***AN: Man, this would be so much more fun if the world didn't already know Pokemon! I mean, that last bit was SO obvious, it's killing me! But if no one knew Pokemon, everyone would be like, "Omg who is the Gym Leader they're missing?" Dang. Well, whatevs. I gotta get a move on with my immense amount of Biology homework (cuz my teacher is the devil) and then chapter 12. I'm also sick, though, and have to write an essay and do an eight page packet and read three chapters. Ugh. Gonna be a looong break.* **


	12. Chapter 12

_Twelve_

"Misty, our math final is in three weeks and you're planning a _party,_" Leaf said in disgust. She had her math homework on her knees, sitting up so she could work better.

Misty froze mid chew of the peanut butter and honey sandwich she hadn't gotten to at lunch. "So?" she asked through her full mouth. Misty swallowed thickly. "It's in three weeks too."

Leaf rolled her eyes. "Well, when you fail precalc, don't come crying to me." She focused on her math again.

"You're having a party?" Ash inquired.

"I told you last week!" snapped Misty, brandishing her half eaten sandwich threateningly.

"Really?" he said, confused.

"Yes, really," she growled in reply. Misty took an angry bite of her sandwich and went back to planning. "So I'll get about… forty boxes of pizza and twenty cases of soda… other people will bring booze, so I'm covered there…"

Ash leaned forward. "So… do you want any help planning?"

Misty looked up, her expression unreadable.

"I mean, I could come over or something and help you out," he continued. "Well, not today, I can't, I mean, Paul told me I have something important to do… something about a test… Anyways, I can come help you out say… tomorrow?" Ash smiled nervously.

Silently, Misty tapped her pencil against the desk. "Well," she began, "I suppose I could use some help. My sisters will be there, but I'm sure we can avoid them."

"Why, are your sisters mean?" asked Ash.

Misty sighed and scribbled something on her paper. "Just wait and see," she mumbled.

* * *

Paul took the remaining two strings and pulled them tight, causing Ash to wince. "And what's this all for?" Ash gasped.

The older man finished tying the strings and clapped Ash on the back. Ash slumped a little, trying to regain his breath. "So you don't get killed by a rock," Paul explained.

Ash's expression turned puzzled. "A rock? What do you mean, a rock?"

Again, Paul clapped Ash's shoulder. "See ya," he said, and he stalked away.

"Wait a minute, I don't understand!" Ash yelled to Paul's retreating form.

"Good luck!" Paul called without turning around.

Ash was about to call out again, but the sound of motors whirring caused him to hesitate. He turned slowly, cautiously, taking in the changes of his surroundings. What had minutes ago been a large, plain room had transformed into something similar to a rock quarry. Ash blinked, confused. "I don't get it!" he called.

The ceiling was then raised, revealing an immense amount of spectators. Ash stared up at them, bewildered and puzzled. Everyone from the Sinnoh branch had to be up there, watching him.

"Are you ready, Ketchum?"

Ash jerked his head towards the voice to see Roark standing at the other end of what Ash now realized was an arena. "No way," he breathed.

"Ladies and gentlemen," rang Cynthia's voice from all around, "welcome to Ash Ketchum's first Gym Leader test."

"Yes!" Ash hissed, a huge grin forming on his face. "Finally!"

"In order to become a Battle Trainer and receive his own team, Ash must fight against Leader Roark in a mental challenge, a physical challenge, and a Pokemon battle. Winning is not the objective. His abilities shall be judged by myself, Roark, and all the Leaders and Elitists." Cynthia paused. "We will begin with the mental challenge."

An Alazakam appeared in the middle of the field, holding two papers. In an instant one was in Ash's hands, and the other in Roark's.

"Whoever writes the correct answer on their paper first shall win," instructed Cynthia from up in the stands. "You may begin."

* * *

"This is going to be Ash's downfall," Drew muttered as the cheers around them escalated. "His brain isn't too sharp."

"I've never understood this part," Gary replied. "I mean, where will we solve riddles in the field? And why do we need spectators for this part?" He gestured to the people all around.

Just then, Paul joined them, picking his way through the crowd to get to the empty seat they had saved for him. "It's supposed to test their ability to concentrate with all these distractions," he explained. "Everyone is screaming and yelling at them to hurry up and solve it. I've been in that kind of situation many times."

"Oh, I get it. Like disarming a bomb," said Drew, nodding.

"That's one example, yes," Paul agreed. Suddenly, the cheering got louder. "Oh. Someone won." The three peered down for a better view.

Roark was holding his paper high in the air, his grin broadcasted on the great screen above them. Drew leaned back and folded his arms in disappointment. "I knew it."

Gary smirked as he saw Ash. "You didn't tell him he was having his Gym Leader battle today, did you?" he asked Paul.

The stony man shrugged. "Why stress him out?"

* * *

Ash was shaking from the pressure. He hadn't been expecting to feel this nervous. But all the yells—all the people up there demanding that he write the correct answer and write it _now_—had made him lose focus. He'd even heard the riddle before, and he'd been unable to answer it. It angered him, and hurt his pride. This was not how he'd planned his first fight with a Gym Leader.

"Roark wins the first round," Cynthia announced.

Ash gritted his teeth. "We know, we know, now get a move on!"

"Next, we shall observe the physical challenge." She paused again, perhaps to let the cheers die down, although it was more likely she wanted to stress Ash. "Ash and Roark will race to the top of this mountain."

Suddenly, out of the earth rose an enormous mound of rock. Ash felt his jaw drop at the sheer size of it, and it kept getting bigger, until its peak was level with the nosebleed section of the stands.

_Where is all this coming from?_ Ash wondered. It had to be extremely advanced technology to get something of that size to come out of the ground. There had to be a whole backstage show of people making this possible.

"Begin," Cynthia said coolly.

Ash jumped, caught off guard. Instinctively, he sprinted towards the mountain, reaching the base in not enough time. Roark had already made his way up a good ten feet of the structure.

"And this is his area of expertise, too," Ash growled. He seethed at the unfairness of it all as he placed his hands on the rock. His eyes traveled up the side, finding a path of hand and foot holds. "Go," he told himself, and he began to scramble up the mountain.

* * *

"Hey," laughed Gary, "remember Ash climbing Leonard's house? He looked like a cross between a Chihuahua and a monkey!"

"Still does," remarked Paul, watching the kid tackle the mountain.

"He's gaining on Roark," noted Drew. "Impressive."

"I don't refer to that as gaining," Paul replied argumentatively.

Gary shrugged. "It seems kinda rigged against Ash, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Paul agreed, "but that's usually how it is in the field. They always have the upper hand. Always." He paused and blinked. "Is Roark slowing down?"

Drew moved so he could see better. "No, Ash is speeding up," he said happily.

For Ash was indeed moving faster. His hands were picking up pace, clawing his way up the mountain as if he knew the course by heart. The camera zoomed in on him, displaying on the big screen his sweaty, determined face. He was nearing the top, and was neck and neck with Roark. Everyone was leaning, craning their necks in an effort to see what was going on above them.

Suddenly, Ash reached a little too far, and he lost his hold. In one heart stopping instant, he almost fell. The crowd collectively gasped. Ash dangled by the mere fingertips of his right hand, his feet scrabbling for a hold while his other arm hung uselessly beside him.

"Is he hurt?" wondered Gary.

Drew was on his feet, leaning against the railing and peering up. "I can't tell," he replied.

Abruptly, the camera switched from Ash hanging by his fingers to Roark atop the mountain. The Gym Leader had won again. Carefully, Roark eased his way down to where Ash was, offering him a hand.

"Don't be an idiot, Ash," Paul growled.

Ash glared at Roark, but accepted his aid.

* * *

"What happened?" Roark asked. "I thought you had me beat."

"My arm cramped up," Ash muttered. "I think."

Roark eyed him with concern. "Can you move it?"

Ash tested his arm carefully. Whatever had gone wrong was better now. "Yeah, it's fine." He sighed. "This is _not_ how I planned my first Gym match to go."

The Leader clapped him on the back and grinned. "Don't worry. It only gets harder from here."

Ash snickered. "Thanks. That's a real boost on my confidence." He paused. "What Pokemon will you use?"

"Rampardos," Roark told him.

Ash winced. Pikachu wasn't strong enough to defeat it, that he knew. But perhaps with a lot of strategy and dodging, he could wear it out to the point where he could land an attack or two. Pikachu was much, much faster than Rampardos. It was the only advantage he had.

"We will now proceed to the Pokemon battle portion of the challenge," Cynthia informed the audience.

A catwalk was sent out from the top of the stadium. Roark and Ash stepped onto it when it was close enough, and the two were pulled to safety. A short intermission occurred as they made their way back to the base of the stadium.

"How did they get a mountain to grow out of the middle of the building?" Ash asked.

At this, Roark chuckled. "Oak had some _really _big Pokemon helping out."

As they reached the arena, Ash was going over all of Pikachu's known moves. There was Tackle, which didn't really do much, and Thunderbolt, which could be useful. He wasn't sure what affected the Rampardos and what didn't.

He _did_ know, however, that Roark's Rampardos was at the insanely high level of sixty-three, while his little Pikachu had just reached level thirty-four (according to Oak). That was a ridiculous gap, and the odds were extremely against Ash.

With sweaty hands, he pulled the pokeball from his pocket and tossed it. "Go, Pikachu!" he cried, sounding much more confident than he actually was.

There was a bright flash, and suddenly the little yellow mouse was in the middle of the field, looking rather baffled at its surroundings. He turned around to face Ash. "Pika pika?" he called.

Ash pointed. "Fight Rampardos," he instructed.

Another flash and a counterpoint call sounded from Roark's side, and with an almighty thud, the dinosaur-like creature appeared behind Pikachu. The tiny mouse stiffened, horror evident on his face. Rampardos gave a terrifying roar, its eyes focused intently on the Pikachu before it. Ash could practically hear the Pokemon's thoughts as it observed its lunch.

"RUN!" Ash yelled, and Pikachu did not hesitate.

Rampardos gave an archaic roar and stampeded after him, hunched forward in the hunt. It stretched a little bit, its teeth coming so close to snapping on Pikachu's tail…

"Agility, _now!_" cried Ash.

Pikachu started to speed up, pulling away from Rampardos. His panting became a steady "Pi," and soon he was a tiny yellow blur, appearing every so often across the stadium. Rampardos was getting dizzy trying to follow. Ash could see its eyes starting to spin as it attempted to track Pikachu.

"Yes!" Ash allowed himself a moment of celebration. He might have a chance at winning now that he had a strategy. Rampardos began flinging rocks willy-nilly, and one flew at Ash, hitting him square in the chest. Suddenly he was extremely glad for Paul's precautions.

Ash's glory in confusing the Rampardos was short lived, as it wasn't long before Pikachu started to tire. His movements were less rapid, and his panting more labored. Roark took the opportunity to land an attack.

"Head Smash!" Roark called out. Rampardos reared back, roared ferociously, and charged.

"Move!" Ash screamed to Pikachu, but it was too late. The attack hit the little mouse head on, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a rock some distance away. Pikachu sighed softly as he slid down the stone.

Ash's heart stopped. _Is he all right?_ Ash wondered. The noise of the crowd had melded into a dull buzz. All that mattered was whether or not Pikachu moved.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw Roark raise his arm in victory. The young boy took that as the okay to run to his fallen Pokemon, and soon he was cradling the unconscious Pikachu in his arms. "Don't worry," he soothed, his mind searching for a way to help him. "I'll… I'll get you fixed."

"Pi… ka… cha," the mouse wheezed, which Ash roughly translated to, "Don't you _dare._"

Laughing in spite of everything, Ash carried Pikachu out of the arena, oblivious to the eyes watching him. Nurse Joy was waiting for him just outside, and together they walked to the infirmary.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Ash asked the nurse.

Joy chuckled. "He's a tough little guy. He'll be fine."

* * *

Misty was in a panic. Ash was coming over to her _house_ today. Ash! The boy she kinda sorta really _really _liked! Dawn was murmuring all sorts of ridiculous advice that Misty was not hearing. Now was not the time. Now was the time to watch the clock hands go round in methodical circles and urge them to go faster. The school day needed to _end_ already, because Misty had _much_ more important matters to attend to.

"Are you even listening?" Dawn concluded in a hiss.

"What?" Misty whispered back.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Why do I bother? I try to help everyone out and no one wants my advice! I should just stop talking."

"That'd be a good start," Misty remarked. She dragged her eyes away from the clock for long enough to put a period at the end of her most recent sentence.

Dawn gave a huffy breath and began scribbling angrily on her paper. "Why do I even bother? You guys are _so_ mean to me. I have the _worst _friends in the world. I mean, none of you are willing to help me get Paul, when I am so willing to assist the rest of you in getting your guys! What did I do to deserve such cruelty? What did I…?" And Misty tuned her out completely.

Next period was lunch, and Misty would see Ash then. Afterwards, there was a class that meant nothing to her since none of her friends were in it, PE, Math, and then Ash would come home with her. It was so exciting, so nerve wracking, and _so _thrilling. So many possibilities could happen with the two of them alone. Her sisters would leave after a few minutes to go run the Gym downstairs, meaning she and Ash could do something so wonderfully—

Her thoughts were interrupted as Dawn ripped her essay from under her hands. "Hey!" Misty cried, reaching to get it back.

"Because of the rates of abortion going up, population is decreasing, blah blah blah," Dawn said lazily. She was holding the paper far out of Misty's reach and copying the writings onto her own essay. "And then Dick Cheney shot someone, so pro-life people won and then—."

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Misty exclaimed. She managed to snatch her paper back. "That's not what I wrote!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You are _so_ distracted right now, thinking about your date with Ash."

"It's not a date, because I don't like him like that!" Misty snapped.

"Oh, please, Misty, are we really going to play this game?" whined Dawn. "You totally like him, and he's into you… ish. So why not seize your chance?"

Misty groaned and leaned back in her chair. "It's not that simple, okay?" she argued. "If anything happens, you'll be the first to know, happy?"

"Okay!" Dawn replied, all sunshine and rainbows again.

"Your mood swings scare me sometimes," Misty muttered.

* * *

The day finally came to an end, and Misty could hardly contain herself. Ash was coming over! This was _it!_

"Hey," Ash called. He arrived at her locker, backpack and all. "I, uh, I gotta talk to you."

Misty blinked. "You better not be canceling on me, Ash Ketchum," she threatened furiously.

Ash winced at this, and disappointment began to cast a shadow over Misty's happiness. "Well, you see, um, Cynthia wanted—."

Her disappointment was instantly replaced by rage. "Oh, so it's _Cynthia_ again, is it? Well, wouldn't want to let _her_ down, would you?"

Ash paused. "Why are you so angry all of a sudden?" he asked.

"I'm not angry!" Misty shouted, causing several people to look around in alarm. She slammed her locker shut. "I just think it's rude that you would offer to come over and then cancel because of another girl!"

A look of confusion came over Ash's face. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Finally, he mustered up the simple phrase of, "Sorry."

Misty slammed her hand against the lockers in fury. "Fine," she said curtly. Angrily, she spun around and stormed away, leaving Ash to wonder what he possibly did.

* * *

"I can't believe he did that," Misty growled to herself as she stomped down the stairs. "Does he think I'm just some plaything? Does he like to tease me? What an ass! I… I can't believe I actually _like_ this kid!" She stopped and corrected herself. "_Liked._ I _liked_ him. After that—ha, _hell _no. As if I'd like him _now._ Seriously, who does he think he is?"

"Uh oh," said Dawn as Misty approached the car. "Misty is all alone, red faced, and mumbling to herself." Dawn whipped around. "I think he stood her up."

"Ten bucks there's another girl involved," May offered.

Leaf shook her head. "No, he's probably just busy."

Misty neared the car, still grumbling incoherently to herself. "What happened?" Dawn asked.

The redhead nearly blew a gasket. "He came up and told me he couldn't come because he needed to talk to _Cynthia._"

"Dang it," Leaf muttered, passing a bill to May.

"Who's Cynthia?" inquired Dawn.

"I don't know!" Misty exploded, throwing up her hands in frustration. She froze, her eyes lighting with an idea. "But I'm going to find out."

***AN: Finally I got this chapter out. Man, it took awhile, and it wasn't even that long. But then, I cranked out quite a few Phineas and Ferb oneshots while working on this. If you like that show, you might like my stories about them. You might also like my new profile page. It looks like a Wikipedia entry.***


	13. Chapter 13

_Thirteen_

Ash had not wanted to cancel on Misty. He'd been looking forward to his time with her all day, until he'd received that text from Paul. With a sigh, Ash pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the message again.

_Come straight to work. Champ wants to have a chat. –P _

"If Misty hates me after this, Paul," Ash grumbled, "I'll shoot you." He readjusted his backpack and walked out into the parking lot, where Drew was waiting for him. "What are you looking at?" he asked the green haired man.

"The cute brunette in her red Pontiac," Drew replied. He gave a two fingered wave as May and the girls drove by. May blushed profusely and smiled. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Drew hopped in his car. Ash was already situated, his expression rather glum. "Do you think she likes flowers?" asked Drew.

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

"May," Drew clarified. "You think she's a flower girl?"

"How should I know?" said Ash. Drew shrugged. Frustrated, Ash waved his hand in a gesture to get Drew moving. "Let's get to work. I don't want to miss anything else today."

* * *

The white Mustang edged out of the parking lot, completely unaware of the red Pontiac that had circled around and now rested just out of their sight. Drew and Ash crept forward a little more, making sure the road was clear, and finally pulled out into the street.

"I can't believe you're making me do this," May groaned.

Misty was in the backseat today, and she was currently hanging over May's seat, pointing after the white Mustang. "Go, go! They're getting away!"

"He's going to see me and think I'm stalking him!" cried the brunette.

"And he'll be flattered," replied Misty. "Now follow that car!"

With one final look of reluctance, May gassed the car and began to trail Drew.

It did not take long for Drew to give his turn signal and pull into the same parking lot he had taken them to on the night of their date. May's car stopped a ways away, determined not to be seen.

"They work here?" Dawn said incredulously.

"My Gary is a scientist here," Leaf told them dreamily. She caught herself. "I mean Gary! Not mine, just… Gary."

"Intern!" coughed Misty before she sprang out of the car.

"He is not!" Leaf argued, following her. "He has a full paying job!"

Dawn frolicked after them, happy for no apparent reason. May noticed this, and inquired as to what was the cause for her joy.

"Paul," Dawn replied, skipping. "He works here too."

Misty and Leaf entered the building first. "Whoa," Misty breathed. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the ornate entrance hall of the Company. Gleaming marble flooring stretched out to every inch of the room. Great glass windows lined the walls, letting in the summer light. In the center of the room, there was a grand cherry desk, much too large for the lone person seated behind it. Backing the secretary and her enormous desk was a majestic water feature, cascading from the ceiling. It produced the light sound one might hear from a babbling brook.

Determinedly, and with the other two girls now flanking them, Misty and Leaf marched forwards, making the ridiculously long walk to the desk as intimidating as they could. When they reached the desk, Misty slammed her fist on it, making the secretary blink blearily at her. "We're here to see Ash Ketchum," she told her.

The secretary grinned happily. "Ditto!" she squeaked.

The four girls stared at her. "Huh?" said May.

"Ditto!" she piped again, and she placed four badges on the desktop, each of them blaring the words "Company Visitor's Pass."

"Uh, thanks," Misty said uncertainly. She turned to her friends. "Let's go."

The quartet navigated around the cherry desk and its stunning water feature and headed for the back of the hall, where the doors to an elevator were.

"I call the button!" Dawn cried, sprinting ahead of them and pressing the up button before any of them could protest.

"Jeez, Dawn, we're not three," Misty growled.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous because I got to the button first."

They stepped inside, and the doors closed with a _ding._ Dawn reached out and pressed the nearest button proudly. "So what's the plan?" asked Leaf.

The other three stared at her. "Plan?" questioned May.

Leaf looked uncomfortable. "Well yeah. We need a plan, don't we? I mean, how do we know what floor they're on?"

At that moment, the elevator opened onto whatever floor Dawn had hit. Misty stuck her arm out, holding the doors open. "Hey," she called to the nearest person. A girl with black braids whipped around alertly. "Where can I find Ash Ketchum?"

The girl smiled warmly. "He's with Cynthia right now." She spun and started to skip away.

"Hey!" Misty yelled again, causing the girl to freeze. "Where is Cynthia?"

She blinked, evidently confused. "On the top floor," she said slowly, pointing. "In her office."

Misty winked at her. "You're a doll. Dawn?"

"I got it," said the blunette. She had already pressed the button for the highest floor. Misty pulled her arm back and allowed the doors to close.

Leaf, however, stopped the door from closing one last time. "Excuse me," she began politely, "but which floor is the lab on?"

"Five," the girl said in a puzzled voice.

Leaf gave the girl her warmest smile. "Thank you so much," she said, and finally let the doors shut. "Press five for me, would you, Dawn?"

Dawn shrugged. "As long as I'm the button pusher."

After a short time, the elevator dinged and opened. Leaf stepped out, and May followed. "Where are you going?" Misty demanded of the brunette.

May tugged on her bandana nervously. "Well, if anyone is going to get in trouble, it's you two, so I'm going with Leaf."

"Oh," said Dawn. "Well, she has a point."

The doors started to close. "See ya!" Misty called to them.

May and Leaf walked briskly down the hall together. They passed by several doors, many labeled as janitorial supplies or copy rooms. "It's like a giant, badly painted school," May observed.

Abruptly, the bland drywall and fluorescent lighting changed to glass on one side, revealing a large room full of tables and computers. "This is it," Leaf said happily. She found the door and entered, the door opening with the sound of air being released.

Over by one of the computers, a man was hunched over. He sighed profusely when he heard them come in. "Look, Byron, I _told_ you I wouldn't be done with the analyzing until tomorrow," he said exasperatedly.

"We're looking for Gary Oak," Leaf said politely.

The man jumped and whirled around. He was old, though rather fit for his age, with a spiking of white hair atop his tan face. "Who are you?"

"I'm—," Leaf began, but at that moment, Gary walked into the lab, holding a stack of papers and a Styrofoam cup.

"I finished printing the encryption, Grandpa, but it—." He stopped short when he looked up and saw the two girls. The cup slipped from his hands, and coffee spilled onto the floor. "L—!" Gary almost cried, but he broke off when he remembered the presence of his grandfather.

"Do you know these ladies, Gary?" Oak asked tersely.

Gary swallowed, but he managed to keep his expression straight. "Yeah, they go to my school." He set the papers on one of the tables and cleared his throat. "Should I escort them out?" he offered.

Oak stared at them with the look of a scientist examining a specimen. "Why were they looking for you?" he asked.

Leaf was about to answer, but Gary was faster. "I promised I'd help them with their math homework after school today," he explained rapidly. "I guess they didn't realize I meant after work as well. I'll escort them out," he said again.

"I'm actually here to see Drew," May said, almost apologetically.

Gary looked as if he could kick her. Oak raised an eyebrow at his grandson, as if daring him to explain this one. "Really?" Gary questioned, sounding genuinely confused. "What do you need him for?"

May blinked at him. "Um, you should—."

Perhaps fate was working in Gary's favor, for at that moment, Drew waltzed in. "Yo, May," he greeted. He had clearly intended to keep walking, but his feet would no longer move. Leaf could see the thought process on his face, his mouth moving silently as he put together what was wrong. Abruptly, Drew spun around to face the two girls. "May!" he said in a more enthused, cheerful tone. "I thought I told you to wait at the apartment!"

Oak rolled his eyes at this. "Another one, Drew?" he asked, clearly bored.

May looked at Leaf. "Another one?" she mouthed in confusion.

Drew chuckled embarrassedly and put his arm around May's shoulder. "Yeah," he admitted sheepishly. "They just can't wait anymore." He sighed. "I miss romance."

May's expression went very dark as she finally caught the meaning of Drew's words.

Drew clapped his hand on her shoulder, making her jump. "Whaddaya say I take her home and reschedule with her?" He looked at May. "You free Friday?"

Her glare burned right through him. "No," she said shortly. She whipped around, grabbing Leaf's arm. "Come on, Leaf, let's get out of here."

Oak's eyebrows knit. "Did she just say—?"

"Yes, yes, you should leave," Drew said hurriedly, ushering them out. He laughed a little, pushing them until they were out of sight from the lab. At that point, Drew gave them a rough shove and came to a halt. "What are you two doing here, are you _crazy?_" he hissed furiously. "Are you trying to get yourselves _killed?_"

"Killed?" Leaf cried loudly. "This is an office building!"

"And what was with that act about me being 'another one'?" May demanded fiercely.

Leaf folded her arms. "And why were you guys lying left and right about us?"

Drew sighed with frustration and attempted to control his anger. "Okay," he began, albeit a little shakily, "Gary is not supposed to be dating you." He gestured at Leaf, then turned to May. "I have a bit of a reputation, and it was the easiest way to get you out of there without suspicion. I'm sorry." May's face simply got angrier. Drew bit his lip. "Look, I may be a player, but I'm not a cheater, all right! Good Lord, girls are difficult." He paused. "How did you get in here, anyways?"

May grabbed hold of her badge and brandished it in his face.

"Oh," he said. "You got a multipass." He pronounced the word like "moolti-pass," as if he had some strange accent.

The two girls stared at him. "Huh?" Leaf cried. She was confused to the point of fury, and could feel her face heating up as she prepared to yell.

Drew saw it coming, and desperately searched for a distraction. "Look, you just need to leave, alright? I'll explain everything later, but _not here, _understand?" He hesitated, and looked around wildly. "Where are the other two?"

* * *

Misty and Dawn marched through the top floor of the Company, looking so purposeful that no one gave them a second glance. They passed by several impressive offices, each stating the name of whoever owned it and their ranking. Based on the style of plaque hanging outside each of the doors, the two girls had deduced that Elitist was higher than Gym Leader, but those were the only offices they had passed so far.

"'Bertha, Elitist'," Dawn read as they passed yet another office. "I'm not seeing any Cynthias, Mist."

And then, just like that, they were there. The most ornate plaque they'd seen yet, resting on the impressive door, both made from some sort of varnished wood that Misty did not recognize. Without another thought, Misty thrust the door open.

The office was large, with an unnecessary amount of space and two desks. One was placed at the back of the room, while the other appeared to be a secretary's desk. Huge windows took up the entire back wall, and the remaining walls were a sleek, modern black.

A woman who did not match the room at all in her pink blouse and skirt was standing by the back desk, filing some papers away in one of the drawers. She had not noticed Misty and Dawn's presence, and continued her work absentmindedly.

Misty exchanged a look with Dawn before speaking. "Are you Cynthia?" she called loudly.

The woman jumped, dropping a few papers. "Me?" she cried, laughing a little. The more Misty looked at this woman, the more she hoped she was Cynthia. "No, I'm just the secretary. Cynthia is in the conference room." The secretary pointed to a separate door leading to another room.

Misty nodded her thanks and headed for the door. The secretary looked terrified. "What are you doing? You can't go in there—!"

But Misty had already thrown the door open and barged in. She readied herself to scream at the intimate couple of Ash and Cynthia and tell the girl to get her mouth _off_ her man, but the yell caught in her throat.

The scene was nothing like Misty had pictured. The room was gray and boring, with a long conference table taking up most of the space. Black office chairs lined the sides, most of them empty except for the nearest two.

Ash and Paul were seated with their backs to the girls, their heads hanging. A woman stood crossly on the other side of the table, her blond bangs hanging in front of one of her furious blue eyes. The gothic attire she wore made her all the more intimidating.

"What are you doing in here?" she snapped.

Misty and Dawn blinked several times, trying to fit the pieces together. Curious, Ash twisted around. Misty watched the ashamed expression on his face turn to one of pure horror as his eyes fell upon her.

"Who are you?" continued the woman. There was a bite in her tone, as if the girls had just interrupted something extremely important. "Why did Delia let you in?"

"I didn't!" cried the secretary, flying in. "They wouldn't listen."

Ash smacked Paul's shoulder, his terrified eyes never leaving Misty. Paul turned, prepared to snap at the younger boy, but he stopped short when he saw Dawn and Misty. The girls watched his eyes grow wide and a vein in his temple begin to twitch. Both boys glanced shyly back at the Angel of Death, their expressions fearful.

Misty decided that this woman was Cynthia. She did not fit her mental image of a busty eighteen year old with California blonde hair and over bubbly personality, but it had to be her. The woman was still beautiful, though in a more frightening sort of way, and she was almost too skinny.

Cynthia glanced down at Ash and Paul. "Do you know these girls?" she interrogated.

Both Ash and Paul shook their heads insistently.

Cynthia's eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms. "Then why are they here?"

"Oh, _there_ you two are!"

Everyone looked to the door, where Leaf and May were strolling through. Drew trailed behind them, trying to appear confident.

Leaf smiled warmly and reached out to shake Cynthia's hand. "Good evening, miss," she greeted, and she grabbed Cynthia's hand, much to the horror of those who worked for her. "My name is Christine Parker. I'm a sales representative from Conglomo."

Cynthia's expression was more baffled than anyone else's. "Pardon?" she asked.

"Haven't heard of us?" Leaf said, as if this happened a lot. She took a seat in one of the conference chairs. "You will soon. We intend to mass produce rare and valuable items, such as Beatle's records, signed Harry Potter books, the like. My coworkers and I were wondering if you'd be interested in investing in our company."

Everyone simply sat there, stunned. Cynthia blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, who are you again?"

Leaf's face fell slightly. "I'm Christine Parker? Conglomo representative?"

"And who are these three?" queried the Champion.

Leaf grinned in understanding. "Oh, these are my associates, Olive Penderghast—" Leaf pointed at Misty, "Diana Rigg—" she gestured to May, "and Hilary Bluebell." Dawn smiled, understanding that this was meant to be her. "They were supposed to bring in our sales plans, but it looks like they left them in the _car._" Leaf cast a glare at her "associates," causing them to look down in shame.

Cynthia's brow was knit with confusion. "Olive Penderghast?" she mouthed. Clearly, Leaf had lost her in her elaborate lie. "And you want us to invest in your company?" the Champion reiterated aloud.

Leaf nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes, ma'am, that is correct."

"Uh huh," said Cynthia. "Y-you know, can we reschedule this? I'm kinda busy." She indicated to Ash and Paul, who remembered their position and hung their heads in shame.

"Oh of course," Leaf agreed sweetly. "We at Conglomo are always available for a meeting, so give us a call when you're free." She stood to leave. "I'll leave my number on your desk, okay?" Cynthia nodded blankly. "Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to talk to us." The teenage girl reached out to shake her hand again, but the Champion recoiled. Leaf smiled awkwardly. "We hope to hear from you," she said finally, and she ushered her friends out of the office.

"What was that?" Misty demanded, gaping at the amber haired girl.

Leaf just smiled. "A lot of fun," she replied.

"We need to leave," May told Dawn and Misty. Her face was worried and guilty. "We're _really_ not supposed to be here."

Dawn sighed. "I didn't get to talk to Paul," she mumbled angrily.

"Drew promised he'd explain everything later, so we're laying our trust in him," said Leaf. They arrived at the elevator. "Dawn, if you please."

The blunette went to push the button, when the doors abruptly opened. A tall man came rushing out, intently reading some sort of report. As the four shuffled into the empty elevator, the man stopped. He turned, and the girls only caught a glimpse of him as the doors shut.

"He looked familiar," announced Misty.

May shook her head. "Never seen him before in my life." Before Dawn could beat her to it, May reached out and pressed the button for the first floor.

* * *

Norman watched the elevator close with an expression of sheer terror. As he stood, frozen, the letter slipped from his hands.

His heart was pounding. Had she seen him? Recognized him? How had she even gotten in? And on the top floor, no less?

Instinctively, Norman started running. He had to find Cynthia, ask her what to do. If anyone would know, she would. He completely forgot everything, including the report on Kanto's missing Gym Leader he had left lying on the floor.

* * *

Cynthia took a deep breath and massaged her forehead. "Where were we?" she wondered quietly.

"You were threatening us," Ash reminded her, earning a scowl from Paul. Ash shrugged at the purple haired man, curious as to what he did. Paul gave him a look as if it were obvious, and mouthed something rather profane.

"Oh yeah," Cynthia suddenly remembered. She placed her arms on the table and leaned forward. "Right. So, if I hear _anything_ at all of Ash going to parties where alcohol is being served, ecstasy is being used, or anything of that sort," she paused for effect, "you two will not only lose your jobs, but your Pokemon, your memories, anything and everything you may have picked up here at the Company. Do you understand?"

Ash grimaced and sunk lower in his chair, as hunched over as he could get. Paul, however, nodded obediently. "Yes, Champion," he agreed.

Cynthia sighed heavily. "Good. You're dismissed."

Silently, Ash and Paul rose from their chairs and left the conference room. The instant they were in the hallway, Ash's questions came out faster than a greyhound on the track. "How did she find out we did that? Why does _Drew_ get to party and drink when I can't? Do you think she was serious about those punishments? I thought I was the 'secret weapon'. Doesn't that give me immunity?"

"No," Paul snapped, whipping his head around. Ash broke off with a small squeak and fell into silence. "Being the secret weapon doesn't make you any different than the rest of us. I'm not even sure _why_ Cynthia gave you that title. You're _not_ all high and mighty; in fact, an amateur like yourself should _not_ be planning such a big mission. And yet here you are, driving me _insane_ with your 'I'm the secret weapon' talk and I'm _sick of it!_" He stopped for a breath. "I almost lost my job today and it's your fault."

Ash stared at him with wide eyes, his fright evident on his face. Never had Paul simply… exploded like that. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Paul blew air out his nostrils like a bull, and slammed the button for the elevator. "I want you to be breaking Olympic records when we get down there."

"Running?" Ash squeaked.

"That's only the beginning," the assassin said coldly.

* * *

"Wow, Leaf," May said in awe as the four of them piled into the car. Their charade as Conglomo representatives was no longer necessary. "I didn't know you could lie that well."

Leaf blushed and grinned modestly. "It comes from years of theater," she explained.

"Next time the police are called to a party, we're sending you out," Dawn told her.

"I'm not _that_ good a liar," said Leaf curtly.

Dawn sat back and shrugged. "Hopefully you'll never have to be."

* * *

"Cynthia?" Norman called timidly.

"She's not in the best of moods," Delia whispered to him. "Maybe you should come back tomorrow."

Norman nodded. After all, no one wanted an angry Cynthia, and he was fairly certain his news would not lighten her mood in the least.

***AN: Anyone get the "Fifth Element" reference up there? How about the "Rocko's Modern Life" one? I love that movie, and that show. Why can't Nickelodeon still show it? Or Avatar? The REAL series? Oh, how I miss good cartoons. Luckily, I have "Doctor Who" now. To be honest, the only reason I'm updating is because the website needs to load. After that, it's me and David Tennant. Oh yeah.***


	14. Chapter 14

_Fourteen_

"Have you programmed the trigger?"

"Yes sir."

"Something you're sure he'll say?"

"Absolutely. He won't be able to resist teasing him like this."

"What was it?"

Ash opened his eyes. He was in his room, on his bed, with Pikachu mumbling curses beside him. It was all familiar, and normal, and _not_ the white room full of scientists. Or doctors. He wasn't sure what they were.

"Huh," he said plainly, and he sat up. "That was new."

It had been the same dream as so many other times, save for the ending. Like the rest of the dream, it had made no sense, but it was a change, and that confused him.

Ash looked down at the sleeping yellow ball beside him. "What do you think, buddy?"

"Pika," Pikachu said groggily, waving a bandaged arm in a gesture to be left alone.

Smirking, Ash grabbed Pikachu's arm, causing the mouse to lift an ear and open an eye. "These have to come off today," he told him.

The mouse drew his arm back with a protective "Pi!"

"Well, they do!" Ash argued. "If they don't then you can't battle with Gardenia, and I lose one round by default."

Pikachu's face said he could not care less.

Ash sighed with exasperation. "Why did I get stuck with _you_ as my Pokemon?" he whined.

"Pika pi chu," Pikachu snapped back.

Grumbling, Ash scooted back under the covers. "I hate arguing with you."

There was a strange noise, as if Pikachu were laughing. "Chu!"

* * *

Ash entered the school gymnasium, where his next class was to be held. It was currently his lunch period, and he was tired of lugging his books around. As he trudged to the edge of the gym to drop his stuff, several pairs of hands grabbed him from behind, surprising him. Ash hardly had time to yelp, for in a heartbeat he had been dragged out of the gym and into an entirely different room, the likes of which he'd never been in.

"We want to know everything," demanded Dawn, folding her arms. Leaf, Misty, and May all nodded in agreement, assuming similar poses.

Ash looked around, confused. "This is the girls' locker room," he realized.

The four girls ignored his comment. "Drew promised to tell us everything that was going on," Leaf explained. "However, we assumed you would be able to explain things better."

This caused Ash to blink several times. "Explain what, exactly?" he questioned.

"Like why going to see you was crazy," Misty said, as if this were just one example.

"And why our _lives_ were in danger in doing so," Leaf added.

"And Drew being a player," May said huffily.

"He said he'd explain all that?" Ash asked, sounding nervous.

The four girls nodded fervently, their expressions demanding he elaborate on these questions.

Ash smiled slightly. "Well, uh, I'm not Drew, and I think he can do all this better than I can." He began to back towards the door. "Besides, you're going to see him tomorrow, right May?"

May looked pointedly away and said nothing.

"What about why Cynth—?" Misty started, but Ash had already fled the scene, the door swinging shut as he raced away. Misty glared at the door, seething. "What a jerk," she muttered.

"See?" Dawn said to her. "The jerks are the best ones!"

Misty did not reply, only stormed out of the locker room with steam blowing out her ears.

* * *

Ash's battle against Gardenia ended similarly to his one against Roark. Pikachu had lasted a little longer, but the previous battle had worn him, and he hadn't quite recovered. So it was back to the Center for Ash and Pikachu.

"You did your best, buddy," he congratulated.

"Pika," snapped the mouse, which Ash interpreted as, "No thanks to you."

Ash sighed. "We need to work on your behavior," he told him.

"Hey."

The young assassin turned to see Paul standing a few feet away, arms folded. Ash shrank away. "What?"

Paul heaved a sigh and sat on the edge of Pikachu's bed. "You did okay," he managed, and Ash could see it was killing him to utter the complement.

Ash blinked in surprise. "Thanks?" he tried.

An awkward silence ensued, broken only by Pikachu's occasional ear twitches and soft "ka"s. Finally, Paul cleared his throat, twiddling his thumbs. "Um, listen, kid, I know you were, um, planning to go to another party soon, and—."

Ash cut in. "You're coming with me," he told him.

"No," Paul said firmly, and Ash looked puzzled. Paul rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear Cynthia yesterday? She'll kill us if we go to a party, _you_ especially."

"But—!"

"No buts!" cried Paul. He got to his feet. "You're not going to any parties, is that clear?

To Paul's surprise, Ash let his head hang in defeat. "Yes."

Paul blinked. "Oh," he said. He shook himself, and the shock quickly wore off. "Good. Well, the mission is in two and a half weeks." And with that, Paul left the Center, quickly forgetting to question Ash's subservient behavior.

* * *

May stood stoically as Drew pulled up in Fabio. She did not move, did not even look at him, as he stepped out of his car and removed his sunglasses. "May," he called.

Stubbornly, May ignored him.

Drew sighed and walked to her side. From behind his back, he produced a bouquet of roses. "I'm sorry."

Despite all her efforts, May had to look at the flowers. They were perfectly red, each and every one of them in full bloom and emitting the sweetest scent. May bit her lip angrily. Why did she have to be so weak willed? "Fine," she huffed. A faint blush was rising to her cheeks, matching the roses.

Drew grinned exuberantly. Eagerly, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the car, and May found herself unable to resist. "Where to?" he queried, leaping over the door and into the driver's seat.

May giggled and opened the door like a normal human being. "So Fabio doesn't need any looking at?"

It was Drew's turn to act embarrassed. "Well, it's not like I _planned_ it like this…"

May laughed aloud. "Okay," she said. "Let's go have some fun."

* * *

Misty smacked her face with her hand and allowed it to drag down her cheek with exasperation. "So you went out to dinner," she repeated.

May nodded enthusiastically. "Yup. That really fancy place downtown."

"And then you saw _Wicked_ at the Jacobson Center," stated Dawn, her pose similar to Misty's.

"Yeah," confirmed May. "He's a real big Broadway fan."

"And _then,_" said Misty, a little more firmly than necessary, "you went down to the pier and kissed romantically with the moon shining on the water behind you, right?"

At this, May blushed. "Well, it wasn't _that_ romantic—," she giggled.

"And the whole time," Dawn interrupted, her voice high with rage, "you did not ask him _anything _about Tuesday?"

May's lovesick smile fell immediately. "Oh," was all she said.

Misty groaned loudly and collapsed on Dawn's oversize pink bed, bouncing a little. She blew her orange bangs out of her eyes, looking frustrated. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

"We might have to send Misty on a date with him next time," Dawn said with disappointment. "Maybe then the job will get done."

May sighed. "Who needs enemies?" she asked the ceiling.

Still stretched out across Dawn's bed, Misty spoke up. "There's still my party. We can talk to them then."

"I kinda doubt we'll get anything out of them at school," agreed Dawn. She plopped down on the bed as well, looking bored.

May got up from her chair and joined them. "I'm sorry, guys. I totally forgot about it."

"Meh, you were dazzled by his emerald eyes," Dawn sympathized. "It's understandable."

Silence ensued. The three girls retreated into their own minds, each scheming on how to get answers out of the boys. Finally, Misty broke the quiet. "Hey, where's Leaf?" she queried.

There was more silence as they all sought their minds for an answer. "I… don't know," May said eventually.

"Should we call her?" asked Dawn, already reaching for her phone.

"Naw," Misty dismissed. "She's probably with her mom. Didn't she say something like that?"

May jumped up. "That reminds me! Dad and I were going to the movies." She headed for the great white door of Dawn's room. "I'll see you guys on Monday, okay?"

"Bye," the other two called.

Again, there was silence in Dawn's pink room. "So," Dawn tried, playing with the fringe on her pillow, "wanna go shopping?"

"Wanna have that pillow stuffed down your throat?" Misty replied, not breaking eye contact with the blunette.

Dawn pursed her lips. "Fine. How about a Jersey Shore marathon?"

Misty closed her eyes, sighing. "Do you even know me, Dawn?" she asked with disappointment.

Her friend stood up patiently and folded her arms, eyes watching Misty knowingly. Dawn did not speak.

Misty stared back at her. "I call the couch!" she cried suddenly, and sprinted out of the room.

"Hey! Not fair!" Dawn yelled after her.

***AN: I'm ashamed. It took me way too long to write so little. But I was getting bored! This is just a filler chapter that needed to be in here because I can't get to the party just yet. Some events have to take place that are vital to the plot but I _really_ don't want to write them. I had this all planned out like two weeks ago and then I started watching Doctor Who. Should have finished this before doing that because now that's all that's on my brain. Ugh. Well, here's to you guys who are probably bored studying for finals. Happy Finals Week!***


	15. Chapter 15

_Fifteen_

Monday. The girls had decided to give up their hopeless attempts on getting answers out of Ash… for the time being. He had to slip up at some point. It would not be long before they had the truth.

Ash, however, had other things to worry about. His final mission was drawing ever nearer, now only thirteen days away. Paul had him training nonstop, and meanwhile Cynthia was setting up his Gym Battles. If he had figured it out right, his last battle with the Gym Leaders would be after the big mission. Currently, his next battle was on Wednesday. He had another on Friday, then just that week…

Unfortunately, he also had finals. The more Ash was in it, the more he loathed high school. They were testing him on pointless things that really did not need learning. He would never use math. That was Gary's job. And who needed to know about the history of Rome? No one. It was absolutely worthless.

As soon as this mission was over, though, Ash would get his own team. Then he could drop out of high school and work at the Company full time.

Ash felt more and more confident the more he thought about it. The mission would go splendidly. Paul always made sure it did.

* * *

Paul made his way up the stairs, his legs shaking with every step. The trek to the roof of the building was taking him entirely too long. His heart fluttered and pounded, as if trying to burst out of his ribs. Never had he been so scared. His father used to yell and scream and force him to retreat to the kitchen cupboard and hide, and Paul's fear now was nothing to then.

His fear was irrational. Paul had already infiltrated the building, as Flint had instructed, and bypassed all the security. It was Flint who had told him that his fear was pointless. "First mission jitters," the redhead had called it.

Despite this, Paul was still terrified. He swallowed dryly as he reached the top of the stairs. A door, gray and cold, greeted him. It was slightly ajar—a shoe holding it open. Hesitantly, Paul pushed it open with gloved hands. The bright light outside was blinding compared to the dimness of the stairwell. Shielding his eyes, Paul stepped through, allowing the door to bounce on the shoe, keeping it open.

Flint's voice echoed in Paul's head as he shrugged off his jacket. "Keep quiet. He's a slippery one." His holster became visible, slung over his shoulder, the gun black and foreboding. Swallowing again, Paul reached for the gun and raised it steadily to eyelevel. He cocked it with the quietest of clicks and took aim.

The man heard him, somehow, and twisted around. He fixed his glasses, and a wide grin split his lips. "Hello!" he greeted enthusiastically. The man got to his feet, and Paul noticed he only had one shoe on. "Can I help you?"

Paul blinked. He had not been expecting this. "Don't move," he tried, readjusting his aim. "Or I'll shoot."

He only grinned a little wider. Almost mockingly, the man raised his arms in surrender. "I believe it," he agreed. He gestured to the pigeons that had been dining with him. "I was just telling my friends about how my little girl is going to grow up to be a heartbreaker."

Paul pushed this statement out of his mind as quickly as he could. "I'm here to kill you," he stated.

The man cocked his head, sizing Paul up. "How old are you, kid? Fourteen? Fifteen?" he queried.

"My age is not important," snapped Paul.

"Are you all by yourself?" the man continued.

"Shut up!" Paul yelled.

The man fell silent, but took a step forward. "You don't want to shoot me," he murmured softly, drawing nearer. Paul sucked in air, feeling his nose and eyes itch with tears. He would not cry. Not here. The man was getting closer, almost near enough to grab the gun. "I can help," he told Paul. "I can find you a home. A family. You don't need to kill anyone."

Paul sniffed, glaring through his tears. No, no, no. He was going to shoot this man and make Flint so proud. He was going to show Riley that he had what it took to be an assassin. He _wanted _this. Wanted it more than anything he'd ever wanted in his life.

Silently, the man reached out and gently pulled the gun from Paul's weak and shaking hands. "There," he soothed, laying the gun on the ground. "It's alright. We're all safe now." He began to pull Paul across the roof, leading him by the wrist. "I want to show you something.

Paul followed cautiously. The man led him to the edge of the roof, a mere foot from the lip that defined the line between safety and open air. Paul wiped his face shamefully. He had to kill this man. If he did, his life would get better. Champion Carson would let him stay. The Company wouldn't throw him out in the street. He would be _happy._

"Look at this world," the man said, as if he couldn't be gladder. He took a step forward and raised his arms, gazing out at the city below. "Thanks to my work, this city is safe. This _country_ is safe. Nothing can touch our soil."

The young boy wet his lips. His eyes had glazed over, focusing only on the man. It would be so easy. He was in prime position. It couldn't go wrong.

"In fact, I'm working on something huge right now," the man continued. "It's a spectacular weapon. No country will be able to compete with our weaponry once we launch it. We will be," he turned to look at Paul, "invincible."

The man said this with such thrill and passion that Paul almost didn't push him. Almost.

Paul propped the door to the stairwell open with his jacket, retrieved the man's shoe, and placed it near the edge of the roof. Already sirens were blaring down below, and he could imagine there was a crowd gathering. Paul did not dare look down. He felt awfully sick as he picked up his gun and hurried down the stairs again. He'd done it. His mission was complete. Flint would be so proud. Carson wouldn't throw him out in the street. Paul's life was going to get infinitely better from here on out.

In the nearest bathroom he heaved dryly for several minutes, having not eaten anything in anticipation before the mission. There was nothing in his stomach to vomit, and he was left leaning against the stall, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air. As soon as he felt able, Paul left the building, doing his best to conceal his face as he passed the crowd surrounding the body. No one could have known he pushed the man. The building was too high. Paul was in the clear.

The next day, Flint gave Paul a congratulatory clap on the back, brandishing a newspaper while he flicked the nearest television to the news. The suicide of Logan Berlitz was the top story everywhere, investigating the whys and the what ifs surrounding the death. Some reporter attempted to interview his family at the funeral, but the widow turned him away, shielding her blue haired daughter from the cameras.

Paul had made the headlines without being found out. Clearly he had talent. Carson and the other Champions could see this. He was worth keeping. They had a fantastic assassin now.

They had successfully turned Paul into a killer.

* * *

Leaf had indeed been with her mother on Saturday. She successfully bored Misty and Ash during math with stories of their shopping endeavors, allowing her to work on her review in peace.

This was perfectly fine with Ash and Misty, who had their own things to discuss.

"What do you _mean_ you don't like cashews?" Ash demanded.

"I mean I don't like cashews," Misty snapped. "Can you get that through your skull or do I need to hammer it in?"

Ash paused. "Do you like any nuts?"

"No. I hate nuts in general." Misty glared at his smirk. "Don't you _dare_ make a lesbian joke, Ash Ketchum."

"How can you say something like that and _not_ expect me to make a lesbian joke?" he asked.

"You set me up!"

"You walked right into it!" he retaliated.

Misty growled in frustration. "You're so annoying!" she cried.

"Is that the best you can do?"

"I'm going easy on you. Your simple mind would be unable to understand the complexity of my usual insults."

"That sounded rehearsed," Ash pointed out.

"Why thank you," said Misty, sarcastically flattered.

Ash scowled at her. "So," he began, leaning forward, "you hate _all_ nuts." Misty ignored him. Ash put on a thoughtful expression. "What about black nuts?"

Misty paused. "There's no such thing as black nuts," she told him.

He gasped. "That's racist!"

Furious, Misty smacked his arm. "You're the absolute worst, you know that?"

Ash just laughed. "You practically run into these things!" he snickered.

She merely punched him again and seethed silently. Leaf looked up at her, an eyebrow raised, but Misty ignored her. "I'm going to study," Misty growled.

"Black nuts," Ash whispered, smirking.

"No nuts," Misty shot back equally.

Ash was finally silenced.

* * *

"Finally we won a Pokemon battle!" Ash cried, feeling relieved. He and Pikachu rested in the briefing room, collapsed on the new couch someone had brought in.

Pikachu nodded happily, leaping onto his master. "Pika!" he exclaimed.

"I _am_ proud of you," Ash replied. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "But Wake almost killed me out there."

Since Norman had moved to Sinnoh, Maylene had opted to leave and live in Hoenn. Apparently, she and her father had been planning to move there for some time. Hoenn supposedly had some great boxing tournament that she'd wanted to enter.

"Ka," said Pikachu arrogantly.

"I am _not_ a wussy!" snapped Ash. He grabbed the water bottle off the table and drained it.

At that moment, Brock entered the briefing room. "Hey Ash!" he greeted. "That was one awesome battle!"

Ash grinned wearily. "Thanks, man. Pikachu was spectacular." He rubbed the mouse's ears with pride.

"I brought you some Gatorade," Brock continued. He showed him the bottle, its liquids tinged green with energy-restoring goodness. With a grin, Brock set it on the table. "Thought after a battle like that, you would need something like this."

"Dude!" Ash exclaimed happily, grabbing the bottle. "This is exactly what I wanted. Thanks."

Brock nodded and smirked. "Sure thing. Anyways, I gotta run. Nurse Joy waved at me during the match, and I'm not about to pass that up." Winking, he slid out the door.

Ash waved even though Brock had already gone. "That was really nice of him, eh, Pikachu?" Ash pointed out.

Pikachu acknowledged his comment by pausing in his washing. He did not reply, and instead went back to licking his paw.

Ash sighed and rolled his eyes. "I love talking to you," he told him bitterly. With a small grunt of effort that Pikachu snorted at, Ash popped open the Gatorade and raised his lips to take a sip.

At that precise moment, the door burst open again, and in paraded Drew, Gary, Roark, and Gardenia. "Congratulations!" they proclaimed. Gardenia tossed confetti in the air, letting it shower down on Ash and Pikachu.

Drew and Gary sat down on either side of Ash, causing him to spill a little of the Gatorade on the new rug someone had put in. "Put that down," Gary snapped, seizing the bottle from Ash's hands and banging it down on the table. More of the greenish water splashed out, landing in droplets on the faux wooden table. "We're taking you to get milkshakes."

"Milkshakes?" Drew said skeptically. He leaned around Ash to give Gary a raised eyebrow.

"Well we can't exactly go out drinking, can we?" Gary replied degradingly. Together, the two of them pulled Ash to his feet and led him out of the room. "Onward!" announced Gary.

"Come on, Pikachu," Roark beckoned, and the yellow mouse scampered after them, intent on joining in on the festivities.

No one looked back, and no one noticed how the spilt Gatorade was burning a hole in the new rug, or eating away at the faux wooden table with a sinister sizzling sound. They were too drunk on victory to notice.

* * *

Ash's Gym Battle on Friday went rather well. He was more physically apt than Fantina, which allowed him to win her physical challenge of racing up and down the field. However, Fantina _had_ been wearing heels, so maybe it wasn't that great of a victory.

Pikachu and Mismagius had had a fairly even match, though in the end, it was Mismagius who pulled through and won. Fantina had destroyed Ash in the mental challenge, but Ash had felt _that_ one was hardly fair. How was he supposed to know who designed all the summer clothing lines of the last year? And _how_ would that information help him in a life or death situation?

"You never know, sweetie," Delia told him pleasantly as she bustled around their apartment. "Fashion could be very important to one of your targets."

"But I'd be killing them anyways," Ash complained. "What does it matter if they like clothing designers or not?"

Delia smiled sadly into the sink. She continued scrubbing the dishes. "Well," she said breathily, "I suppose you win." She turned to wink. "This time."

Ash pulled himself off the couch and began drying off the clean dishes. "You never had a chance," he chided playfully.

Abruptly, the door burst open. "Ash! I thought I told you we were scoping out the laboratories tonight."

Ash sighed. "Paul, can't you leave me in peace if I'm already home? Look, I've already taken off my socks." He wiggled his toes to emphasize this.

Paul appeared from around the corner, still wiping his shoes on the rug. "I don't care," he told him, looking extremely serious. "We need to set up surveillance."

"Can't we do it over the weekend?" Ash whined.

"No, we have to do it now."

"Paul, sweetie, why don't you stay for a little bit?" offered Delia. She wiped her hands on her apron and smiled warmly. "I can heat up the rest of the lasagna if you like."

Ash smirked as Paul was clearly debating on whether to stay or not. "Well…," he began, but he soon refocused and shook his head. "No. I _have_ to go back to work. And he's coming with me." He pointed at Ash.

Ash sighed. "Fine," he conceded. He threw the towel down on the countertop. "I'll get my socks."

* * *

Drew pulled one of the charges off his belt and undid the wiring with his teeth. By the light of the bulb on his hat, he placed the charge on a fraction of the ridiculous amount of electrical wiring before him. "I used to rule the world," he sang. "Seas would rise when I gave the word."

"Please stop singing, Drew," Paul moaned in his ear.

Drew rolled his eyes even though the others could not see him. Paul and Ash were up above, discreetly scoping out the laboratories, while Gary resided in the van. "I'm in the sewer," he snapped. "I get special privileges when I'm down here." He pulled a strip of Velcro out of a pocket on his belt and used it to secure the charge. "I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing, Roman cavalry choirs are singing. Be my—."

"At least sing something other than Coldplay," Paul pleaded.

"Sorry, but Drew FM is not taking requests this hour," replied Drew. "Now shut up before I flick you guys into the sewer."

"Cynthia would kill you if you lost that little ear thing," Ash warned him.

"I _know_ that, Ash, it was a _joke._"

"Oh." Ash fell silent.

Drew shook his head and clamped some of the wires together. He held a pin between his teeth, resulting in his singing sounding more like, "Hmm hm hmm hmmmm hm hm." He removed the pin and placed it in the charge. "And that was when I ruled the world," he continued.

From the belt around his waste, Drew produced a pair of pliers and began working at cutting some of the wires. "Na na na naaa na na," Drew went on. The pliers gnawed at the thick rubber coating the wires. "I don't know the rest of the words," he sang, in tune with his previous lyrics.

"Thank God," said Paul, clearly relieved.

Finally, the wire cut. Drew hurriedly attached his nifty connector to the broken end and pulled out a small, walkie-talkie device with a screen. He fastened one of the wires that dangled from the device to the other end of the connector, and quickly flicked the power button.

The screen lit up with life, showing an image of the laboratories. "Dang," Drew said proudly. "On the first try, too."

"What? What's on the first try?" Ash wanted to know.

"I got the labs on the first try," Drew answered. "It's not that big a deal. I've got to do all the other feeds now."

"How long will that take?" Gary inquired. "I've only got one in the van right now." Gary was referring to the monitors in the van, which the gizmo in Drew's hands was connected to.

Drew looked at the bunch of wires that matched the one he had cut, and his brief pride vanished. "It's gonna be a while. Paul, why don't you take the kid out for an ice cream while we grown-ups get the work done?"

"That was so funny, I forgot to laugh," Ash sneered.

The comment did not faze Drew in the slightest. He ignored Ash, and instead picked up a new song. "If I could write you a song to make you… fall in love—."

"I'm going to spill your guts when you get back up here," Paul informed him.

Drew smiled at this, now working at multiple wires with the pliers. "You got designer shades just… to hide your face," he sang. As soon as the wires were cut, he grabbed a handful of connectors and did the same to them as he had done to the first wire. "You never say hey, or remember my name. Probably cuz you think you're cooler than me." Drew grinned and paused. "Hey Paul," he called.

"What?" growled Paul's voice in his ear.

"You know what the best part of this song is?" he teased.

"The end?" Paul suggested.

Drew chuckled slightly and hastily secured the gadget to the wires. "The fact that it repeats over… and over… and over."

Paul groaned audibly. Drew snickered and resumed his work and singing. He was alone with his friends in his ears, the dozens of wires before him, and the wonderfully eerie drip of the sewer.

***AN: If you didn't figure it out, that bit where Paul pushes the guy off the building is his first mission. Carson is the Champion before Cynthia, in this little world of mine. Aren't you all so glad I updated? Why don't you tell me that? Review! Hoorah! Also, I'm curious, if I wrote a Doctor Who fic, who here would read it? Just wonderin'.***


	16. Chapter 16

_Sixteen_

"I don't know," Dawn sighed. She yawned widely and rolled over on her bed, her phone to her ear. "Paul is clearly into me, but I haven't had any contact from him."

"Because he's totally into you," Leaf agreed sarcastically.

The blunette missed her tone and nodded sadly. "It sucks, but at least I'll see him on Saturday, right?"

Leaf shrugged. She spun around in her computer chair, in her own home, with the phone pressed to her ear. Abruptly, she stuck her leg out to stop the spinning, and focused on the book in her lap again. "Misty is worried Ash isn't going to show at the party, so, by extension, neither will Paul," Leaf said lazily.

Dawn gasped so sharply that Leaf's ear twanged with pain. "No!" she cried. Dawn was now on her knees, her heart pounding as she attempted to crawl off of her marshmallow bed. "Paul _has_ to come! I was going to kiss him at her party. If he doesn't, I'll have to talk to Kenny or Lucas or," she shuddered, "Barry."

Leaf was only half listening. Her book had less romance drama going on than a half hour of Dawn's life. "Oh well," she said.

Dawn apparently didn't hear her. "And I had this big plan to set up Ash and Misty in Daisy's room—because she has the biggest bed, you know?—and then _they _could hook up and Paul and I would be happy and you and Gary—." Dawn broke off. "Is Gary going?"

"He hasn't decided," Leaf answered.

"And this doesn't make you frantic?" cried Dawn.

Leaf snorted. "It's just a party. Besides, it's not like he'll cheat on me."

"Did you find out why he and Drew kept our names secret to his grandpa?" Dawn inquired eagerly.

"He's not supposed to have a girlfriend," Leaf told her. She paused. "But I don't know why names are important…"

Dawn's face lit up. She had successfully reached the edge of her bed and found a juicy mystery. "What if you dated his _brother_, like, in the past, right? And so you have a bad reputation with the Oak family because of something _scandalous._" She spoke this last word as if it were the sexiest word in the world. "And now Gary doesn't want to bring shame to his family, so he's keeping you secret!"

Leaf was silent. Dawn's face was stretched into a thrilled smile, as if she had just solved the crime of the century. "You do know, Dawn," Leaf began slowly, "that Gary is my first boyfriend, right?"

"Oh yeah," Dawn remembered morbidly. "Dammit." She brightened up not a moment later. "But now, if he goes to the party, you can ask him!"

"Why don't I just ask him at school?" Leaf questioned, sounding annoyed.

"Because," Dawn said obviously, rolling her eyes, "he won't have the adrenaline of the party pumping through his veins and thus is viable to think, which means he could lie to you."

Leaf blinked at her book, shocked. "That actually makes sense," she stated.

Dawn sighed. "Why do you guys have such little faith in me?" she said somberly.

"Your reputation precedes you," Leaf told her honestly.

Shaking her head, Dawn pursed her lips. "Well, whatever. Anyways, we need to come up with a plan in case Ash decides not to go the party. He _will_ be at that party, whether he likes it or not."

"He's into Misty, right?" asked Leaf.

"Oh totally," Dawn confirmed.

Leaf hesitated. "You know, coming from you, I'm not sure I can take that seriously."

"What's that supposed to mean?" huffed Dawn.

"Let's get to planning," Leaf amended hastily.

* * *

Ash was enjoying his week off of Gym battles. They were rigorous and exhausting, and he needed this rest. Pikachu did as well, and the mouse made the most of it by sitting on the couch, the remote at his side, with a bottle of ketchup clutched between his paws.

This was also finals week for Ash, something he found to be an incredible waste of time. He could hardly concentrate on the exams, especially with the mission being only days away. The anticipation was killing him. He wanted so desperately for it to be over with, and yet his excitement was eating him alive.

A loud snap brought his attention back to the world of the classroom. Ash shook his head slightly and looked up. He was in English class. The room was silent save for the scribbling of pencils against scantrons. Ash frowned at Misty seated next to him, brow furrowed in confusion.

Misty gave him a side glance and gestured to the test. Ash looked at it for a moment before remembering. He was taking his English final. He had to get it done.

Under Mr. Marks' semi-watchful eye did Ash complete the exam. He and Misty had developed a sort of Morse code: two pencil taps for help, a quick glance at the question, and one to four taps depending on what the answer was. It worked out splendidly, and Mr. Marks, by some miracle, didn't notice.

As soon as everyone in the class had finished their exams, Mr. Marks allowed them to talk, which shocked many of the students. Misty turned and struck up conversation with the girl next to her. Dawn, however, seized the opportunity to interrogate Ash while he flicked bits of paper into the unsuspecting Misty's hair.

"So are you coming to the party?" Dawn demanded.

Ash took aim and delicately flicked the tiny rip of paper. It fluttered through the air in a perfect trajectory and joined its fellows in the nest of Misty's orange hair. Ash sighed with satisfaction and leaned back. "Of course," he replied.

Dawn opened her mouth to yell at him, only to find herself speechless. "Huh?" she said finally.

"I'm going to the party," Ash told her. "Why wouldn't I?"

Dawn blinked several times. "You're… coming to the party," she repeated dully. She squinted in confusion. "Seriously?"

With a smile, Ash nodded.

Instantly, Dawn went from confused to curious. "So does that mean you like Misty?" she pestered.

"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed, grimacing. "That's a really big jump. Like, _really_ big."

Mischievously, Dawn shook her head. "Not really," she said cheekily. "When I like a guy, I go to their parties."

Ash wrinkled his nose. "You would go to any party, Dawn," he told her.

"Not true!" Dawn cried, smacking his arm. "I would _not_ go to a party thrown by Ritchie!"

Blinking, Ash frowned. "That hurt me for some reason," he said with confusion.

Dawn ignored him and changed the subject. "Anyways, that wasn't the point of this conversation. I just wanted to let you know that should you back out of this, Leaf and I will eat you alive."

"Okay," Ash said. He tore another bit off his paper and prepared to flick it.

"I'm serious!" continued Dawn, eyeing him evilly. "We're cannibals. We _will_ eat you."

Ash slowly faced her. He stared at her for a long while, contemplating, and when he finally opened his mouth to say something, Misty turned around.

"Hey," she said, "Dawn, what did you put for that one Hamlet question? Phoebe got a different answer than I did."

Dawn blinked avidly, trying to appear like she cared. "Um, I can't remember. Sorry."

Misty shrugged, only to have several bits of paper rain from her head. "What the—?" she began.

Ash's laughing gave him away. A book to the face shut him up.

* * *

Cynthia placidly hung up the phone. Her face was expressionless. "Delia," she called.

The secretary pattered in faithfully. "Yes miss?" she queried.

With a wave of her hand, Cynthia beckoned Delia to her desk. Delia leaned forward, concern evident on her face, as Cynthia waved her still closer. "I need you," whispered the Champion, "to get me my Elitists. Now."

Delia nodded and scurried out of the room. She sat back down at her desk, the phone receiver already in her hand. "Would all the Elitists please come to the Champion's office?" she said into it. Her voice echoed all around her, playing on the loudspeaker wired through the building. "Thank you."

With a click, Delia hung up the phone. She shifted in her rolling chair, still looking worried. Cynthia did not call meetings like this out of the blue. Delia fiddled with the sticky notes on her desk. She had to listen in. Something the Kanto Champion had told Cynthia on the phone had unnerved her. Delia needed to know what it was.

For some strange reason, she felt it had something to do with Ash.

Not a minute after Delia had decided to eavesdrop, Bertha rushed in. "Good morning, Delia, sweetheart," Bertha greeted. "What's got Cynthia all worked up?"

Delia smiled warmly and shrugged. She didn't trust herself to speak.

Bertha gave her a squinty grin and entered the Champion's office.

Not long after Bertha came Aaron. He was attempting to flatten the cowlick of hair that stood up like an antenna. Delia giggled at this. Aaron smiled with embarrassment. "Cynthia hates this thing," he informed the secretary before stepping into Cynthia's office.

Lucian arrived next. He did not speak to Delia, but nodded politely. This caused the brunette woman to blush profoundly, to her surprise. As a woman in her mid-thirties, Delia was not interested in a relationship, especially with Ash to care for. But for some reason, Lucian made her feel… funny.

Delia shook her head roughly. She was not going to think about the sleek Elitist. She was going to listen to Cynthia's meeting.

Finally, Flint showed up. He smelled strongly of smoke and his shirt was singed. "Sorry," he laughed to Delia. "Infernape kinda lost control."

"That darn monkey," she giggled back. Her laugh was nervous, and her hands were shaking, but Flint did not seem to notice. The Elitist simply nodded and followed the others into Cynthia's office. The door clicked shut behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Delia let out a shaky breath. This wasn't going to be easy. She had never performed espionage before, and to spy on her boss seemed even more terrifying. Delia wet her lips and gripped the desk. It would be fine. She could do it.

Slowly and quietly, Delia pushed her chair back from the desk. It made the slightest of noises as it rolled across the plastic mat, but to Delia it sounded like the scraping of nails on chalkboard. They had heard her. They knew she was intending to eavesdrop. Oh, she was going to be fired and then killed for the secrets she knew!

Delia forced herself to breathe. Fired, maybe. But killed? She was exaggerating to scare herself. The woman fixed her pink blouse and stood up. There was nothing to fear. If anything, there was a potential promotion in this.

At least, that's what she told herself.

With her head a little higher, Delia stepped around her desk and tiptoed across the carpet. Her mind imagined thousands of terrible scenarios, many of them involving Flint setting her on fire and Lucian's disappointed face. She bit her lip as she reached the wall that bordered Cynthia's office, already able to hear the voices. Very poorly designed, this thin sheet of drywall, Delia noted. She knelt down by the gaudy potted plant, took one more deep breath, and pressed her ear to the wall.

"…whole system down!" Cynthia cried. "I was called on an open line! A _cell phone!_ Our system is no longer secure. Someone knows how to fuck up our security and they are not holding back."

"But that's all the way in Kanto," stated Aaron. "They can't reach us here."

"Kanto is in trouble," Cynthia snapped. "If they can take down one branch, they can take down the others. Lance is _missing _a _Gym Leader._"

There was silence. Finally, Bertha spoke in a cracked voice. "Who?"

"Brock," Cynthia told them.

Delia gasped softly. Brock? How? She… she used to bring Brock cupcakes for his siblings, knowing how much trouble he had caring for them. He was the sweetest boy.

"Wait a minute," Flint said suddenly. "Didn't someone named Brock try to break in not too long ago?"

"It can't be the same guy," said Aaron sharply. "Why would he try to break in?"

"Someone tried to break in?" cried Cynthia. "Why doesn't anyone _tell _me anything!"

"We _did_ tell you," said Flint. "Or at least, Paul did."

There was a smacking sound, and Delia guessed Cynthia had walloped the top of her desk angrily. "I thought his target had escaped! I didn't know there was a new person involved!" She took a deep, shuddering breath, evidently calming herself. "Paul's mission is on Sunday. If it fails, we lose all our Gym Leaders, along with three of our Elitists. Now, we are going to go downstairs, find this Brock, and figure out exactly what he is about."

Delia barely heard the last sentence. She had already left her post at the wall and hurried back to her seat. Her heart was beating too fast, and her stomach felt weird. The door opened just as Delia placed her hands on the keyboard. Cynthia stalked out first, followed by a trail of Elitists with expressions resembling kicked puppies. Only Lucian still seemed collected. He winked at Delia behind his glasses as he left the room.

This sent her heart all aflutter again.

* * *

Ash arrived at school on Wednesday morning in Drew's car. The day was brilliantly warm, with the sun already heating it to a wonderful seventy-eight degrees. Ash slid out of the car, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt (his leg hair had grown back), and hoisted his backpack on his shoulder.

"What tests do you have today?" Drew inquired as Ash started walking away.

"French and PE," called the raven-haired boy. Ash gave a wave. "See ya!"

The bell rang as Ash clambered up the stairs. The crowd around the school dispersed, and soon it was only Drew outside. The green haired man smirked and leapt out of his car. From the backseat, he pulled out a foil package and a small box.

The reception desk housed the same freckle-faced girl from last time, and she looked positively shocked to see Drew again. "Hi," she managed.

Drew gave her a half smile and flipped his hair. He could practically see her heart melt. "Hey," he greeted, eyes sparkling. Gently, he set the items down on her desk. "I need you to make a delivery for me."

May was seated in her desk like a good girl, barely absorbing Dawn's whispered gossip as Monsieur Beaumont explained the rules about filling in the bubbles. His accent was nearly impossible to understand, but that did not stop May from trying.

Ash, however, had long since given up on decoding the gibberish that left Monsieur's mouth and was doodling on the side of his scantron. May watched this, decided not to tell him he wasn't allowed to do that, and leaned her head in Dawn's direction to infer she was listening.

Abruptly, the door opened, and the entire class turned to look. The shy secretary cowered under Monsieur's questioning gaze, and did her best to grin. "I… I have a delivery," she announced.

Monsieur stared at her, frowning. "For 'oo?" he queried.

"Oh! Um…" She reached in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "May Maple."

The entire class turned the attention from the secretary to May, who shrunk into her seat. If her dad had sent her something stupid again, May was going to _kill_ him—

The secretary placed the delivery on May's desk, and her eyes went wide. A small box of assorted chocolates lay before her, along with a bouquet of roses wrapped in foil paper. May blinked incomprehensibly at this. She looked up at the secretary in confusion. "Who is this from?" she demanded.

"Oh, um, the, uh, guy with green hair," murmured the secretary. There was a blush on her freckled face as she scurried from the room.

May copied her, blushing profoundly as she stared at her gifts. A tiny note poked out of the foiled paper, nestled amongst the roses. Aware of Dawn's excited eyes, May gingerly pulled it out of the stems. She unfolded it, revealing the unnecessarily ornate handwriting inside.

_Not for you, but for your sapphire eyes. –Drew_

May fought back a grin. Her heart seemed to swell as she read his words, her insides turning to pleasant mush. It was all she could do to keep from giggling.

Dawn read the note over her shoulder, and her face broke into the happiest of smile. She squeezed May's shoulders in congratulation, whispering things like, "That is _so_ cute!" and "You are so lucky!"

Pleased, May folded the note back up and placed it in the flowers. She could feel the heat radiating off her face, so great was her blush. Still grinning like an idiot, May tried to return her attention to Monsieur, only to have Dawn tap her shoulder and point out another note.

Excited at what the paper might contain, May snatched the note from the box of chocolates and read it.

_Not for you, but for you sweet, sweet lips. –Drew_

May nearly passed out from the sheer adorableness of it all. She smiled with her tongue between her teeth to keep her silent. It was just too cute. May squirmed in her chair, suddenly unable to sit still. She wanted more than anything to run up to Drew, ruffle that ridiculous hair of his, and kiss him. Never had she felt such an overwhelming desire like this. Suddenly, all doubts of him and the Company left her mind. She could only see him, shining like a most spectacular star.

Or perhaps radioactive material. After all, his head was green.

On May's other side, Ash had his cell phone out under the table. _What did you DO to her?_ he texted Drew.

Not a moment later, the reply came. _Did she like it? _wondered Drew.

_LIKE it?_ Ash wrote. _I think she just had an aneurism from it._

Ash could picture Drew receiving the text as he parked his car in the Company parking lot. He could see the grin on his friend's face as he read the message over again, chose not to reply, and put his phone away.

Ash did not get a text back.

Brock had disappeared. Cynthia and her Elitists had looked everywhere, and been unable to find him. However, none of them had ever seen the man. They had no idea what he looked like, or where he might be. The target Paul was supposed to kill, Leonard, had also vanished. Cynthia sent out a notice for the city police to be on the lookout for him, but since they had no image of Brock, there was nothing that could be done for him.

Professor Oak had tried his best to help, but his artistic skills were lacking, and he had no knowledge of Brock and Leonard outside of the Pokemon they possessed. The footage for the Company security cameras had mysteriously disappeared, and the Ditto that sometimes worked the front desk had no idea what the Champion meant when she ordered it to become Brock (it became several sorts of rocks before Cynthia gave up on it).

No one had any pictures of Brock. His residence had been abandoned, and the supposed siblings he'd claimed to have had never even been there. Cynthia threw a fit, screaming that he was supposed to be under surveillance, why hadn't her people noticed an absence of ten children that were supposed to be there?

And that was how Brock Harrison and Leonard McCoy disappeared. They would be found again, certainly, but not in a condition anyone would like.

***AN: I wanted to give you guys a Valentine's Day update, so voila. I've been writing this all day. I hope you all got the Ritchie-Ash joke way up at the beginning. Made me laugh. I dropped my phone, and now its behaving like a TV channel that won't come in. Isn't life wonderful? **

**I asked a guy to dance with me last night at our school dance, and he was a total jerk and blew me off. He was a Kevin Bacon lookalike, and it really sucked. Why am I writing this? I'm hoping that by some miracle he'll read this and go "Oh snap, it's HER!" and apologize profusely for his behavior. I don't think karma likes me that much though, so probably won't happen. I can dream, though, right? **

**Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Go indulge in chocolate and kiss someone cute, okay?*  
**


	17. Chapter 17

***AN: A forenote. Shame on me. Anywho, I know a lot of people have been excited for this chapter (Ivybean in particular), and so have I. I hope it lives up to your expectations and please, don't do anything the characters in this chapter do. I learn all about drugs and alcohol from the idiots next to me in third period. Don't learn firsthand. Yes, there is drinking in the next bit. Enjoy~***

_Seventeen_

Misty looked around her home. The gym had been cleared of most of the dangerous equipment, the pool had been covered, and the doors to all their bedrooms had been locked and barricaded as best she could. She had left the guestrooms and rooms they only used once in a blue moon open. After all, she couldn't have a great party if people weren't getting intimate. Just not in _her_ room.

The space she had for the party was huge, with the entirety of the gym and pool area available for her use. Her sisters always closed the place when they went on their model shoots, but it was open for Misty's pleasure.

"Are we good?" May shouted from across the gym. She was setting up the last of four food and drink tables, making sure the legs were sturdy and filling the bowls with snacks. "I've seen so many chips I'll dream about them for weeks."

"Yeah, we're good," Misty called back to her. She looked skyward. There was a balcony above the main gym area, on which an indoor track looped the building. A great rock wall commanded one wall, stretching towards the warehouse-like ceiling. "Dawn!" she yelled. "All set?"

The blunette appeared, leaning over the railing. "Are you _sure_ we can't have balloons?" she pleaded.

Misty shook her head, though Dawn probably couldn't see her. "No. They'll get stuck in the ceiling and my sisters will _know_ I had a party."

Dawn pouted one last time before checking back behind her shoulder. "Yeah, Leaf and I have everything set up over here."

"Awesome!" yelled Misty. She turned and headed to the office at the front of the gym. Grinning, she pressed the intercom button. "What do you think? Radio station or Dawn's iPod?"

"Dawn's iPod!" came Dawn's voice. She was using one of the phones and its intercom feature, and obviously enjoying hearing her voice reverberate around them.

Misty snickered and plugged the device into the dock. She fiddled with the volume control, turning it up all the way. The speakers shuddered with the techno pop that made up Dawn's iPod, getting the dance mood going. Misty wasn't particularly fond of the thumper music, but everyone else was.

The redhead glanced at the clock. The green numbers read 6:04. The party had been mean to start at six, but no one ever showed up on time. Misty shrugged and headed out of the room.

May was waiting for her, fixing the lace on her sneaker. "Hey May," Misty began.

The brunette looked up to show she was listening.

"If everyone is fashionably late to the party, expecting the party to be in full swing, does that mean there will be no party when everyone shows up?" Misty asked.

Blinking, May frowned. "I have no idea," she admitted slowly.

"No, of course not," Dawn interjected. She daintily clicked down the last few stairs, her heels making it difficult for her to walk downhill. Leaf, on the other hand, leapt over the railing and landed lightly next to them.

"That was fun," Leaf said, grinning. "I should jump off of things more often."

"You are scared of my _diving board,_ Leaf," Misty snapped, folding her arms as she walked away.

"Am not!" protested Leaf. "That was ten years ago. And Dawn told me that if I jumped off, sharks would come and eat me."

Dawn snickered. "I forgot about that."

"But you haven't been on the thing since," noted Misty.

Leaf shrugged. "Fine. Maybe tonight I'll get drunk and fall off it."

The four of them laughed at this, because the idea of Leaf drunk was absolutely preposterous.

* * *

"Ash, where are you going?" Delia called, poking out of the kitchen.

Ash was already halfway out the door. "I just got a call from Paul," he told her. He held up the cell phone as evidence. "He wants to hold an emergency meeting."

Delia's face fell. "Okay, sweetie," she sighed. "Be safe."

"I will," Ash promised her. He left the apartment.

"Are you wearing clean underwear?" Delia shouted as an afterthought.

Ash's groan of embarrassment could be heard from the other side of the door.

* * *

"Paul is going to kill us," moaned Gary as Ash slid open the door of the van.

Ash snorted. "I'm not scared of big bad Paul, are you?" he challenged. "Besides, this was your idea."

"When I suggested it, I was being completely hypothetical," argued Gary.

"Aw, c'mon, Gare, live a little!" Ash coaxed.

Gary glared at him. "You're acting like Drew."

"It was only a matter of time," Drew put in. He was sitting in the passenger seat, his feet on the dashboard. "Drive," he commanded loftily.

"Yes _sir,_" Gary said with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

Misty overlooked her party from the balcony with pride. Nearly everyone from school had shown up, even people she didn't know. That was how she knew it was a good party. People she didn't know came to enjoy it.

It was going to be one hell of a cleanup tomorrow.

The music thumped through the place like a heartbeat, and down below, there were enough people to take up the whole of the covered pool dancing, while an equal number hung back on the sidelines. The food she had set up had long since run out, but the pizza had just arrived. Leaf was charging two bucks a slice. It would pay for itself in no time.

Misty glanced at the door. To her utter amazement, she managed to catch Ash, Gary, and Drew walking in. They looked around as if they were pleased with the atmosphere, and began pushing their way through the crowd.

Her heart beat a little faster as she watched Ash crowd dodge. He glimpsed this way and that, and it made Misty feel stupidly giddy to know he was looking for her. _Come on,_ she willed, gripping the railing. _Look up, you idiot._

And, by some miracle, Ash looked right up at her.

Misty watched him tap Drew's shoulder, and point her out to him. He said something to the green haired man, who shrugged in return. Ash met her eyes again, and stared searching for a way to reach her. She observed his progress impatiently, and wished the crowd would disappear for a moment so he could find his way to her. Alas, it did not happen. Perhaps the redhead was out of miracles for the night.

After what felt like a century, Ash reached her. He had drinks, which he had somehow managed to not spill. "Hey!" he greeted happily. "I brought you a drink."

Misty swallowed her lovesick-girl laughter and instead rolled her eyes. "Aw, how _sweet,_" she teased, taking the plastic cup from him. People around them swung to the beat, downing their drinks and paying them no mind.

"Did I miss anything?" Ash questioned, taking a long drink.

The redhead grinned mischievously. "Yeah, I got picked up by some drunken idiot, and now I'm married."

Ash blinked. "Seriously?"

Misty threatened to dump her drink on him. "C'mon Ash, you're smarter than that!" she scolded.

Annoyed, Ash sighed and looked down. "Hey," he laughed, nudging her. "What do you think would happen if I 'accidentally' spilled this on someone down there?"

"A fight?" Misty suggested hopefully. She looked Ash up and down. For some reason, his jeans and black jacket looked especially handsome tonight. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

Ash frowned. "Better pick a wimp, then," he decided. He peered down, aimed his drink, and allowed a bit of it to spill on someone's head.

Gary looked up, a furious expression on his face, and this sent Ash and Misty into a roaring fit of laughter.

"He's going to kill me for that," Ash snickered.

"Yeah, he just might change your math grade if you're not careful," giggled Misty.

The two of them howled at this. They took a few swigs of their drinks, and this made it all the more hilarious.

This is how their night went, at least for the next hour. Because by the end of the hour, the two of them were feeling slightly buzzed, and slightly buzzed meant dancing-like-an-idiot time. Ash and Misty joined the crowd that partied on the balcony, earning a five foot radius around the both of them due to their wild moves.

They were having a wonderful time.

* * *

Around the same time, Drew was sipping his beer in a gentlemanly fashion, and paying far more attention to the brunette on his right. May was sort of dancing, swaying to the beat, but it was clear the music was not to her liking. She had a water bottle in her hands, and clutched it tightly. Drew admired her abstinence from alcohol, and took another sip.

"Did you get my gifts?" he asked over the noise.

May quickly turned to look at him, aware she was being addressed. A small blush crept into her cheeks, which Drew thought was positively adorable. "Yes," she said happily. She paused. "Are my eyes really sapphire?" she wondered eagerly.

Drew chuckled softly. "Yes, really," he told her.

The girl smiled with embarrassment, her eyes sliding away as she attempted to calm her beating heart. "Yours are like emeralds," May said, and it came out in a rush.

"Are they?" said Drew. He sounded unimpressed. "I never noticed." He cast her a side glance, smirking.

May nodded determinedly. Her face said she could not believe she had just said the words out loud. After taking a deep breath, she rambled, "And my lips are sweet?"

Drew let out a laugh. "You're funny," he said to her. "Doubting my words." His hand floated up and brushed some of her hair away from her face. "How about mine?" he whispered in her ear. "How do mine taste?"

Blinking slowly, May turned her head slightly. They were so very close, their noses nearly touching. From this distance, Drew could see every sparkle in her gemlike eyes, and every curve of her perfect face. It made his heart squeeze, and it was unlike any other girl he'd ever been with.

"Like heaven," May answered, and she closed her brilliant eyes and took his mouth in hers. Their lips moved against each other in the best of ways. It was not hungry, or aggressive, but sweet and gentle. Drew allowed his arms to encircle her waist and his hand to entwine with her brilliant brown locks as he kissed her slowly. It was simply wonderful, and nothing more.

Neither was sure how long they stayed like that, locked in eternal bliss, but when Drew's phone rang, they both pulled away immediately.

"Sorry," Drew said, and he was surprised to find how hoarse he was.

May just nodded and attempted to calm her blush.

Drew was so embarrassed he did not bother to check who was calling. He flipped the phone open in haste and answered with a squeaky, "Hello?"

"Drew?" came the shocked voice from the other end. Drew visibly paled. "Where the hell are you?"

"P-Paul!" Drew said, his voice shaking. "Hey man, what's up?"

"I can't hear a thing you're saying!" Paul yelled. "You'd better not be at that party."

"I can go to parties," Drew argued. "You're the one who's grounded."

"Sure, _you_ can go, but you always break the rules," growled Paul.

May looked at Drew questioningly, inquiring silently. Drew met her eyes and mouthed, "A wet blanket." "Sorry, can't hear you," he remarked aloud.

"Where is Ash?"

Drew froze. His heart raced as he searched for a liable fib. "Why, am I supposed to know this?"

"I am standing right outside," Paul said clearly. "If he is still in there in thirty seconds, he's dead, understand?"

Drew swallowed. "Well, he's not here, so you're wasting your time," Drew snapped.

Paul chuckled villainously. "See Drew, this is why you're not the leader," he said politely. "You suck at lying."

The line went dead. Drew gaped at May, his expression terrified. "What?" May wondered. "What's the matter?"

"Paul," Drew managed. "He's going to _kill_ Ash if he finds him." He looked around wildly. "Where is he?"

May tapped him on the shoulder, pointing shakily. "There."

* * *

All the attention of the balcony was on the two crazy kids dancing like maniacs. The crowd cheered them on, thrilled to see them acting like idiots. In no way were the two _good_ at dancing, but they were dangerous and stupid, and that was enough.

Ash and Misty bounced around their now ten foot clearing with enthusiasm, not seeming to tire. They performed every dance move they knew, doing the Macarena and Solja Boy to Kesha and the Black Eyed Peas. The attention they were attracting was unrivaled. Even the three way make out session by the diving board had fewer viewers.

"Can you do swing?" Misty yelled over the noise. The cheers and music were almost deafening, but Ash seemed to have gotten the message. Misty ran at him, jumping into his arms. He caught her, and swung her to his right, to his left, between his legs, and onto his hips. Her legs locked around him, and maybe it was the heat, or the energy pulsing through the both of them, or the drinks they'd had. Whatever it was, it caused Ash to look at Misty, and Misty to look at Ash, and then they were kissing.

It was strange. They kissed like they had been kissing for their entire lives, eating at each other and fighting for dominance. The crowd went wild. This was what the dance routine had needed.

Misty's legs stayed tight around Ash's hips, while her lips stayed locked on his. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him as close as she could. Their eyes remained closed, and they continued to engulf each other. It was not romantic. It was drunken and lustful.

And then the gun went off.

* * *

While Paul had been loitering around outside, he thought he saw someone he recognized. However, the face melded into the crowd again, and Paul wrote it off as paranoia.

He talked to Drew for a little bit, which only confirmed his suspicions about Ash. Paul should have known the teenager would have gone to any length to attend the party. He should have made more of an effort to keep him away.

As soon as Paul hung up the phone, he pushed into the gym. The place stank of sweat, booze, and cheap pizza. A thousand people seemed to be crammed into the space, which Paul could readily assume extended maximum capacity.

Looking around, Paul saw Gary with Leaf minding the pizza counter. They seemed to be chatting happily, and Gary looked like he had something in his hair.

Paul tore his eyes away from the two of them and managed to find Drew and May. May was pointing up, and Drew was following her finger. Paul followed it too, and woe and behold, there was Ash.

"Paul!"

_Oh no,_ Paul thought. Dawn sidled around him and grinned. "Hi!" she greeted happily.

Paul sighed. "Hi Dawn. I'm busy."

"At a party?" Dawn wondered. "But it's a _party._ You can't be busy at a party."

"I'm not attending, now shut up." Paul's eyes moved away from her and tried to focus on Ash again.

To his surprise, Dawn grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. "Hey," she snapped. Her eyes had an angry glint in them. "I'm talking to you, and when I'm talking to you, I demand your attention."

Paul's gaze slid away from her again. Misty was on Ash's hips, and the electricity between them was so obvious Paul could practically see the sparks.

Dawn snapped her fingers to get his attention. "Stop it!" she cried. "I'm better looking than any other girl here. Why won't you talk to me?" she wailed.

Paul sighed. God, not this, not _now._ He massaged his temples and looked Dawn squarely in the eyes. "Look, you troublesome girl, I don't have _time_—." He broke off, his eyes going wide as he looked past Dawn. "No way," he gasped.

"You're ignoring me again!" whined Dawn.

With wide eyes, Paul pushed her aside and dove. He saw it all in slow motion. The turquoise haired man reached into his jacket, and the butt of a gun became visible. Paul reached out, desperate to stop him, but he was not fast enough. The only thing Paul could hope to do was distract him.

"BUTCH!" Paul yelled.

Not fast enough. Butch had taken aim. The trigger had been pulled. The bang of the bullet seemed to bring Paul back to real time, and he managed to tackle Butch to the ground.

"DREW!" screamed Paul. The crowd scurried back from him and Butch. The gun landed on the ground, and it went off again. Several people screamed. "GET THE KID!"

Drew was already moving, shoving his way through the throngs of panicking teenagers and racing up to the balcony. Paul couldn't look up to see if the bullet had hit Ash, lest his captive get away. Butch was putting up too much of a fight.

"If he's hurt," Paul growled in the man's ear. The kids all around them were still recoiling, and there was a big push to leave the gym.

"You'll what?" Butch said in his scratchy voice.

Paul pulled harder on the man's arms. "I'll kill you right here."

Butch laughed. "Good luck with that."

Gary thrust his way through the crowd, stumbling upon the steadily growing arena where Paul had Butch incapacitated. "Oh my God," Gary breathed. "It's Ben."

"Dammit can't you get it right?" shouted Butch. "I just shot your secret weapon! The least you could do is get my name right!"

Suddenly, Paul yanked back on Butch's hair. "What did you call him?" he hissed in his ear.

Butch did not respond, only whimpered with pain.

"Gary, was someone shot?" cried Leaf. She came running up to them, panic in her eyes. Seeing Paul, she spun around. "Where's Dawn?"

Paul ignored her, casting Gary a furious glare. "Get her out of here," he ordered in a low voice.

Gary blanched and nodded. Without a word, he grabbed Leaf's hand and led her away. She protested, asking endless questions, but soon her voice was lost in the panic around them. Paul gripped Butch again, his fingers squeezing like a tourniquet around Butch's arms. "Now," Paul breathed, "how did you know?"

Butch just grinned. "Not today," he teased.

"Prepare for trouble!" crooned a new voice.

Something lashed out from above and whipped across Paul's back. He arched in pain, and loosened his grip. Butch scrambled away and took a fighting stance. "And make it double," he added.

Paul managed to stand, though the stinging on his back made it difficult. He gazed in the direction of the new voice, which was coming from up on the balcony. A woman with brilliant golden hair stood there, her eyes shining as she held the struggling Drew in a lasso fashioned from a thin black whip. Her outfit was strange; the dress was fuchsia pink and shiny, like plastic. "To infect the world with devastation," she cried.

"To blight all people within all nations," Butch finished.

The girl grinned wickedly. "To denounce the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!" proclaimed Butch.

"Cassidy," said the girl, her eyes glinting as she tightened the rope on Drew.

Butch smiled. "Butch," he announced. "But you already knew that." He looked up at his partner. "Show our dear Paul the body."

Cassidy's villainous grin turned vicious in a heartbeat. "You missed, you _idiot!_" she hissed. "He got away!"

***AN: Yes! I've been so eager to put Cassidy and Butch in there! Jessie and James, as you all know, defected to the Company's side due to their romance. Speaking of which, I know there wasn't much Poke up there, but I've been planning it like this for a long time. Only one problem: I don't know what to do next. I don't like what I've written so far and I think I should rewrite it. If you have any suggestions about the next chapter, by all means, say them. **

**I do not condone drinking, going to these sort of parties, three way make out sessions, or anything of the like. Do not try this at home. Or do. I can't boss you around. I can only suggest. And I suggest you review. ;D*  
**


	18. Chapter 18

_Eighteen_

Butch stared at Cassidy in confusion. "…What?" he said finally.

Suddenly, in his momentary distraction, Paul ambushed the teal haired man, butting his head into his stomach and taking him down. As they fell, Paul's head bashed into the ground, but he soon gained the advantage and pinned Butch down. Cassidy went to tighten Drew's restraints, but he had sucked in his gut and the ropes had loosened enough for him to wriggle out. Just as the blond reached him, Drew slipped out and tripped her.

"Ha!" Drew laughed victoriously. Cassidy crashed into the ground, landing on her arm. In a deep voice, he cried, "How do you like me now?"

In a heartbeat, Cassidy was back on her feet. She shook her arm out painfully, but her expression was fierce. "Scared yet?" she teased through a bloodied lip.

"Terrified," Drew hissed with a smirk.

Each of them took a fighting stance. Cassidy struck first.

Down below, Paul and Butch were wrestling on the hard floor of the gym. They rolled past plastic cups and dropped slices of pizza, each trying to subdue the other. "I thought you wouldn't be here," Butch complained as he found Paul's gun under his shirt. The teal headed man grabbed it and threw it out of reach. "Thought you were grounded." Butch reeled back and punched Paul in the nose.

"Who told you that, Bill?" Paul grunted through his instantly bleeding nose. He grabbed Butch's arm and twisted it till it popped.

Butch howled in pain. "You bastard," he said through gritted teeth. "If you're going to break my arm, at least get my name right!"

Paul pushed Butch's arm a little farther. "I wasn't kidding," he said sternly. "I want an answer. Who's been talking to you?"

"You don't scare me, Paulina," Butch taunted, only to cry out in pain again. "OW! Christ, _let go!_"

Eyes narrowed, Paul continued to push Butch's arm the wrong way. "Talk, bitch," he demanded.

Butch's eyes watered with pain. "_He_ told us you were in trouble," snapped the man.

"You seem to forget that I run my own life," Paul retorted. "Who is _he?_" Whoever had sent them out knew the goings on inside the Company. A double agent? It had to be. But _who?_

"I think you know," Butch whispered.

Paul glared, and mercilessly snapped Butch's arm down to the floor. The man screamed in agony, but Paul soon quieted him with an elbow to the head. He _didn't_ know. He had no idea who could possibly be the traitor.

Unless it was someone on his own team.

The idea made Paul's heart skip a beat. Furious at Butch for putting doubt in his mind, Paul stood and kicked him before walking away. "Drew!" he yelled. "Let's go!"

Cassidy suddenly flipped over the railing, and judging by the way she scrambled to hold onto it, it was not by her will. Drew appeared over her, lazily leaning on the handrail. "How's it hanging?" he queried.

"Just _wait_ till I get back up there, you cabbage-haired freak of nature!" she hissed.

Drew glanced at his nonexistent watch. "I've got an appointment, but I'm sure you'll be here tomorrow." He tapped the railing and waved in farewell as he strolled away.

"Ooh, I'm going to rip every blade of grass from your scalp!" screeched Cassidy as her heeled feet searched for a foothold. "You're going to regret the day your mother tried to garden on your head!"

"Hey," Drew greeted Paul, reaching the bottom of the stairs. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked extremely cool for someone who had just been fighting.

"I'm going to use 'garden on your head' at some point," Paul assured him. The two of them headed out the gym, Cassidy still screaming behind them.

Drew sighed. "Guess I earned it for taking Ash to this thing." He looked up and noticed Paul's somber expression. "There wasn't any blood," Drew told him. "Biff missed."

The two of them exited into the night air. The area was deserted, save for the three people huddled at the edge of the yard. "What happened?" Gary inquired immediately, running out to them.

Leaf followed, shaking slightly. "Why didn't we call the police?" Her eyes went wide as she looked at Paul. "Oh my God you're bleeding!"

Paul absently wiped at his face. He had forgotten about his bloody nose. Through narrowed eyes, Paul scowled and did not retort. It was bad enough he was bleeding in front of his team. Now there were two girls present.

May reached for Drew and clung to his arm. "What happened?" she demanded. She ripped her bandana from her head and thrust it at Paul. "Here. Now what _happened?_" Suddenly, May's eyes lit up with understanding. "This has something to do with your job, doesn't it?" she said with horror. Her face now furious, May punched Drew hard in the arm. "You never explained everything to me, you jerk!"

Silently, Drew grabbed her fist and forced it to relax. He held her hand, and said nothing. May seethed at this, but gave up trying to force an answer out of him. "What now, Paul?" Drew asked. He sounded exhausted, and his expression reflected that.

Paul warily put May's bandana to his nose and exhaled. "Uh," he began, thinking, "where are Ash and Misty?"

"You don't know?" cried Leaf.

"We can't know everything," Drew responded.

"But what if they're hurt?" the girl continued. "What if that weird haired guy shot them?"

Paul sighed. "Drew, go check the perimeter. I wouldn't be surprised to find them in the bushes."

Drew nodded obediently. He slipped his hand out of May's and soon disappeared around the gym. They all watched him go.

"Now…" Paul continued. His head ached from his encounter with Butch's fist and the floor, making his thoughts fuzzy and painful. "Now, uh… let's sit down." His legs practically buckled underneath him, bringing Paul down to the grass. It hurt to even have his eyes open, leaving Paul no choice but to close them. Sleep seemed like the most wonderful thing at the moment. "Dawn," he remembered. "Where is she?"

"I don't know!" wailed Leaf.

Paul winced at her pitch. "That's not helping," he snapped, opening his eyes to glare at her briefly. He raised the hand that wasn't holding the bandana to his forehead, as if trying to hold his skull together. "Maybe Drew will find her. If not, she'll find me soon enough."

"Are you okay?" Gary wondered. He knelt down in front of Paul, trying to examine him.

Paul pushed the researcher away. "I'm _fine_, nerd. Leave me alone."

"Did you hit your head?" asked Gary persistently.

"I don't know, maybe," Paul huffed. The blood had stopped pouring from his nostrils, and he utilized both hands to hold his head. "When Gary comes back, we'll go to Joy, okay?"

"I'm Gary."

"Oh," said Paul. He seemed unfazed. "Then Drew. Whatever, you know what I mean."

Gary peered at him. "Are you tired?"

"I'm effing exhausted, now go away." Paul leaned back into the grass, still clutching his head. His ears were starting to ring. Paul groaned. Why now?

"Whoa!" Gary cried, and Paul felt himself being lifted back into sitting position. "Don't go to sleep."

"Why not?" Paul growled.

Gary held him up. "I think you have a concussion." Paul attempted to lean back down, only to be held up by Gary. "Hey! I said no sleeping!"

"Why not?" repeated Paul.

Concern evident in his eyes, Gary helped Paul to his feet. "Okay, okay, let's walk around. Come on."

Paul stumbled, allowing himself to be led by the researcher. He said nothing, his head lolling from side to side. Gary smacked his cheeks every so often to keep him awake.

"What should we do?" Leaf inquired. She seemed to have gotten over most of her panic and was now eager to help.

"I have no idea," Gary answered honestly. "Just hope he doesn't pass out."

"I found them!" Drew called, appearing from around the gym. He had two people by the arms, dragging them after him. "They were sitting against the building, giggling like idiots."

"Hiiii Paul!" Ash called merrily. He waved extravagantly, stumbling a little.

Drew led Misty and Ash right up to the group and released them. "They are so drunk," he remarked. It was then he noticed Paul. "What's wrong with you?"

"I think he has a concussion," Gary explained. He eased Paul a few steps forward. "We'll take him to Joy and see what she can do." Suddenly, Gary looked up. "Did you find Dawn?"

Drew shook his head. "I didn't see her."

Gary, May, and Leaf all exchanged worried looks. "Okay," said Gary in a resigned tone. "Let's focus on Paul. Then we can worry about Dawn."

* * *

Dawn had seen everything. When Paul had lunged at the man with the gun, she had raced up to the balcony, fighting the panicking crowd in an effort to get a better view. She had to watch Paul, make sure he came out safe. After all, he'd saved her before. It was only fair she try to help him.

What the girl saw shook her.

Never had Dawn expected Paul to be so… ruthless. He snapped the man's arm without a thought. On the other side of the balcony, across the gym, Drew tossed the woman over the edge and let her dangle. And they acted like it was a _game._

She watched the two of them exit the gym together, leaving the other two as they were, unconscious on the floor or hanging by her fingertips. Dawn could not believe it. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed.

Paul could have killed the man. Paul could have _killed_ him. Dawn blinked suddenly as the realization struck her. For some reason, she didn't think Paul would have had any sort of moral issue with killing the man.

Dawn crouched down and watched through the bars of the railing as the woman dropped from the balcony, landing like a cat. She prowled over to her accomplice and cupped his head gently in her hands. Maybe she said something. Dawn could not hear.

After another moment of caressing the man, she managed to scoop him up. He looked strangely frail and small like that. Dawn watched as the woman carried him towards the back of the gym and out the back door. The last glimpse she caught of the woman, Dawn thought she saw tears.

Abruptly, Dawn stood and stalked away. Paul knew how to defend himself. So what? A man that knew how to fight was one she could count on to protect her. The more she thought about it, the fewer negatives she saw to the scenario.

It never once crossed the blunette's mind that Paul might be a killer.

* * *

Paul entered the briefing room as loudly as he could the next morning. He'd even brought a cane from the infirmary with which to bang on everything within reach. "Good morning!" he yelled as he passed Ash.

The young man groaned and massaged his eyes. His elbows were the only thing keeping his head off the table. "Why?" he moaned.

"Oh no reason," Paul continued at an unnecessarily high volume. "Just wanted to make sure you were all awake."

"Paul, there's no need to make him suffer," Drew told him. The green haired man had a much higher tolerance for alcohol than the rest of them, and since Gary hadn't touched the stuff (minus his head), Ash was the only one with a hangover.

Paul glared at Drew. "He needs to learn," snapped the assassin. "I bet he doesn't even remember the little fling he had last night." Paul leaned down so he was right by Ash's ear. "Huh? Do you remember? Hey Ash! Remember Misty? Hm? Ring any bells?"

"No, God, what the hell are you talking about?" Ash said miserably. He rested his hand in his hands. "I can't do the mission tonight," he admitted.

At this, Paul grabbed him by the back of the shirt. "Oh really?" he breathed in a deadly whisper.

Ash groaned again and allowed his head to fall onto the table. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll do it."

"Good," Paul said, leaning back. He looked at Drew. "Take him out for coffee, get him out of this funk."

Drew paused. "You know that doesn't actually work, right?"

"I know, but I want the two of you out of here, so go get coffee."

Annoyed, Drew rolled his eyes. "Do you want anything, my liege?" he queried.

Paul sat down hard in the metal chair, looking wearier by the minute. "Uh… something salty."

Drew blinked a few times, pondering this, before giving a shrug and snapping his fingers by Ash's ear. "Come on, Dopey, let's go."

Staggering, Ash followed Drew out of the briefing room. As soon as they were gone, Paul gave a sigh and rested his head in his hands. His face suddenly felt like it was falling off from exhaustion, while his head pounded with the aftermath of his concussion. He was in so much pain, so… tired…

A knock interrupted his thoughts. Paul's head snapped up. Gary was standing in the doorway, his hand posed as if to knock again. A blue folder was in his hands. "Busy?" he wondered.

Paul shook his head and beckoned him inside. "What is it?"

Hesitantly, Gary placed the folder on the table in front of Paul. Paul gave it a scowl before turning his expression to Gary. Instantly, the researcher started explaining. "See, yesterday, while we were at the party, Flint was out with Karen, and they noticed some commotion near the river. So… they went to check it out, and some kid had found a body in the river and the police showed up and there was this big fiasco and… yeah."

Intrigued, Paul picked up the folder and flipped it open. It was an article from some online news source, the headline blaring "Multimillion Dollar Weapons Designer found Dead in Julian River," accompanied by a big, happy picture of Leonard staring at them.

"Oh," said Paul. He blinked a few times as he stared at the paper. "_Oh._"

"We think Brock killed him," Gary informed him. "Or at least, Cynthia does. He didn't have his pokeball on him, and it wasn't in the building, so the killer must have taken it."

"So he wasn't part of this," Paul breathed. He felt a pang of sympathy as he scanned through the article. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Gary shook his head. "We didn't know. But Brock is still out there. We have no idea what he's after or where he's headed."

Paul flipped the folder shut and handed it to Gary. "We can't worry about this now," he stated. "Is everything ready for tonight?"

Silently, Gary nodded. He clutched the folder like it was his anchor to remaining on the Earth.

"Well, double check it," Paul ordered. "We can't fail, got it?"

Gary nodded once more and, without a word, left the room.

Paul got up not long after and walked to the other side of the briefing room. The couch was as good as any bed. With an exhale of relief, Paul fell back on the cushions. He slipped into unconsciousness almost instantly.

He did not notice the burn stains on the table in front of him. Had he gone to look in the trash can, Paul would have found the melted remains of a Gatorade bottle, with the only recognizable feature being the cap.

But instead he slept.

***AN: Been a while, eh guys? I had a big swim meet last weekend, otherwise I would have updated then. You might remember me raving about my 6:13 for my 500 free. I am proud to announce it is now a 6:04. *applause!* Now, I know nothing happened in this chapter, but I needed a filler. And an excuse not to update till Spring Break. Anyways, thank you guys for reading and suffering through my writing, and for leaving me reviews. You keep this story alive.***


	19. Chapter 19

_Nineteen_

Paul woke up to something warm and papery hitting him in the face. He sat up, bleary eyed, and saw Drew shedding his coat. With his eyes half open, Paul grabbed at the thing that had landed on him. It was a salted pretzel in a paper sleeve, the butter grease showing through the wrapping. "What's this?" he inquired drowsily.

"Something salty," replied Drew. He threw his jacket on the chair and glared at Paul. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

A yawn broke Paul's face. "What?" he asked.

Drew folded his arms, and his expression grew darker. "You're going to make Ash kill someone tonight, aren't you?"

Suddenly awake, Paul stood and matched Drew's look. "If he is going to be a Battle Trainer, and lead his own team, then yes, he has to be able to kill."

"You can't do that to him!" Drew nearly yelled. "Do you know how _excited_ he is about this? After we got coffee, he wouldn't shut up about it!"

Paul looked away. "What choice do I have?" he murmured.

Drew gaped at him. "You have a thousand choices," he told him. "You could stage it. Please stage it. Make it look like he killed someone and then convince him to switch paths. The Company will let him be a thief or something." Suddenly, Drew blanched. "Is this room wired?" he whispered.

Tiredly, Paul shook his head. "It's my room. I control everything in it." When Drew still looked skeptical, Paul added, "And budget cuts."

"Ah." Drew nodded. The room went quiet, until the air condition unexpectedly kicked on. Drew cleared his throat. "Catch the last _House_ episode?"

Paul stared at him for a moment, looking confused. "Go away," he said finally.

Drew pursed his lips and nodded adamantly. Without a word, he left the room.

Alone again, Paul nibbled on his pretzel. He finished half of it before he fell asleep again. His last thought was that he probably shouldn't be sleeping, what with the concussion, but then he embraced the sweet blackness and slipped away.

* * *

Gary was going through the drawers of his grandfather's office, searching for the documents he'd been sent for. Professor Oak was waiting for him in the lab, probably tapping his foot with impatience and wondering why he'd had such an incompetent grandson, and why couldn't he be more like the Ketchum boy? Gary gritted his teeth at this thought. The old man much preferred Ash over him. He always had.

Where were those papers?

The young researcher tore open yet another drawer and rifled through it. If only the professor were more organized. Then maybe Gary wouldn't be tearing the office apart searching for those stupid papers.

Unsuccessful again, Gary slammed the drawer shut and ripped open the next one. This one came open with resistance, and he paused. He peered at the front, and realized there had been a lock on the drawer. Gary had torn it right off.

Feeling mildly pleased with himself, the boy began going through the drawer. _Let's see what secrets we'll find in here, Grandpa,_ Gary thought snidely. To his surprise, the drawer was mostly empty. A photo of the professor's wife rested on the top, and below that was an envelope containing a marriage certificate. At the bottom, a box full of marriage memorabilia and what looked like children's toys. Gary set this back down and looked to the back of the drawer. There were things back there, probably interesting things, but it was too dark to see. With a soft grunt, Gary reached back. His hand brushed against something that rolled, but gripped onto a small box. Gary pulled back, brushing the dust off of it. Hastily penned letters read the word KEY.

Without hesitation, Gary ripped it open, and just as the box stated, there was a key. It fell into his hand, cool and small, with teeth cut in an intricate pattern and the number L17 on it.

Curious, Gary slipped it in the pocket of his jeans, placed the box back (the things rolled again) and closed the drawer. He found the documents he had been sent for rather easily afterwards, and headed back to the lab. The key burned in his pocket, constantly reminding him it was there. He wanted to know what it was for. He desperately hoped it was something interesting.

* * *

"Camera one, check," Gary narrated. He pushed some more buttons on the console. "Camera two, check."

Gary was in the van, checking all the cameras before the other three went in. They appeared on his screen one by one, revealing every entrance and exit of the building. He continued to recite each camera, and finally moved on to the areas. "Area one is not clear. Do not enter." Gary pushed a few more buttons to adjust the angle. "Area two is not clear. Area three is—."

"Not clear?" Ash guessed through the earpiece.

"Clear, actually," Gary told him. "Still feel smart?" When there was no reply, Gary looked over the monitors one last time. "You may enter area three."

"Got it," Paul said. Gary watched the three of them, all clad in bulletproof vests, on his upper left monitor. They sped through the door and raced through the area, running until they reached a their designated checkpoint. Paul touched his earpiece. "Where to now?"

The assassin heard Gary's voice through his earpiece. "Take a left. No guards on that route."

Cautiously, Paul peered around the corner. Seeing no one, he motioned for his accomplices to run out ahead of him. Drew and Ash slipped around him, Drew releasing his Roserade. "Careful," he murmured to it, and the four of them padded down the hall.

Ash could not keep himself from touching his gun. It was strapped to the side of his belt, easily accessible, but the idea of having one after all this time was exciting. He let his fingers graze over it every time his hand swung by his side. He wanted to pull the trigger on _anything,_ just because he could.

After a moment, Paul slowed to a stop. "Doesn't it seem odd," he remarked, "that we haven't run into any guards yet?"

Drew groaned. "Don't say that!" he cried. "You'll jinx us!"

"Too late," Ash said.

From the other end of the hall, people came charging at them. They were clad in all black, running remarkably fast, and had enormous guns swinging on their shoulders.

"Okay, how about we turn around?" Paul suggested.

"This is your fault!" Drew accused as they started running.

"How far do you think the range is?" wondered Ash, glancing back. He ducked in fright as a bullet went flying right where his head had been. "Far enough," he decided, and he pushed himself a little faster.

"Leaf Storm!" Drew shouted, and Roserade pirouetted to halt in its running. The Pokemon gave a mighty cry, thrust its flowers forward, and unleashed a vicious wind of leaves.

Their pursuers went flying backwards, careening into each other with the force of Roserade's attack. As soon as Drew and the others had enough of a lead, Drew pulled out his pokeball and returned his Roserade. "Great job," he told it.

Alarms sounded, red lights on the walls flashing a horrible red color. Paul led his trio up a flight of stairs, the most direct route to the lab he could remember. Gary was giving him information on rapid fire. "Hallways three and four are full of guards. Take hallway fiv—no! Take, uh, seven. Seven is clear. Then pass through area six. The labs are just on the other side."

"Got it," Paul said lowly. To the two behind him, Paul called, "We're going through area six. Shoot on sight."

Before Drew or Ash could reply, Paul swung a hard right down hallway seven and led them into area six. The room started filling with foes the instant they set foot inside, but Paul already had his gun out and was firing. _It's you or them,_ he told himself, and the gun no longer felt so repulsive.

Drew watched Ash reach for his gun, a look of determination on his sweaty face. Drew's eyes went wide, and abruptly the green haired man knocked Ash's hand away and grabbed the boy's pokeball from the boy's belt. He released it and Roserade without hesitation. "Roserade, Stun Spore!" he ordered. "Pikachu, Discharge!"

And just like that, everyone in the room, minus our three heroes, was paralyzed. Paul stared at the tiny yellow mouse for a moment before putting his gun away. "Nice move," he complimented.

"Pika pi pikachu," the mouse replied cockily.

Drew grabbed Ash by the shoulder and thrust him first into the other room. With a scowl at Paul, Drew followed. Paul went last, and he had to allow himself a moment to enjoy the labs.

The laboratories were enormous, a chamber of rooms connected by doorways. Computers and machines of unknown intent lined the walls, so spectacularly modern that it was hard to not be amazed. Each consisted of a flat, touch screen panel, lined on the sides with small unmarked buttons. Some of the machines had grand, outdated levers that somehow made them more impressive. Sleek black tile flooring reflected the lights and screens of the technology around them.

There was no one there.

"Oh Gary," breathed Ash. "I think I just found where nerds go when they die."

Paul blinked to break himself of the fascination. "Come on," he ordered. "We have a weapon to steal." After a quick scan of the room, the three decided that their desired object was not in this lab, and they hurried on to the next room.

Drew saw it first. He came to sliding halt, cocking his head to the side as he stared into the doorway they'd just passed. "Oh wow," he said softly. "I think that's it."

Ash and Paul joined him, the three of them peering through the door with wide eyes. "Yep," Paul agreed. "That's it."

It was a magnificent machine. Bright silver made up its panels and sides, gleaming in the soft light of the laboratory. A glass prism shaped like an octagon rested in the middle, extending from the brilliant silver base to the funnel-like silver top. A glow of blue electricity sparked inside the glass, as if bursting with energy.

"It's bigger than I thought it would be," stated Ash as they approached the weapon. It was as tall as any of them, and twice as wide.

"How are we gonna carry it?" Drew wondered.

"Pika!" agreed Pikachu.

Ash glanced down at the mouse. "You're still out?" he questioned, and immediately returned the Pokemon. Drew did the same with Roserade. "Can we touch it?" Ash wondered, stepping closer.

Paul pulled him back. "No!" he cried, and Ash looked abashed. "Drew needs to look at it first, make sure there aren't any weird defenses on it."

"No time," Drew argued, for the sound of approaching footsteps was growing ever closer. He walked right up to the machine and gave it a push. It rolled across the tile smoothly, without triggering any force fields or booby traps and such. "Hm," observed the green headed man as he bent down. "It's on wheels."

"Fantastic," Paul growled, and in a heartbeat he was behind the machine, pushing it with ease out the nearest door.

After a moment's hesitation, Drew and Ash ran after him. Paul was going extremely fast, but kept the machine in control. The three of them slid to a stop as they turned down a new hallway. "Holy—!" shouted Paul before skidding to a halt. He looked around wildly at the other two. "This hall wasn't in the floor plans!"

"What do you mean this wasn't in the floor plans?" Drew cried.

There was a shout of command from behind the trio, and the footfalls seemed closer and far more numerous.

"Holy shit, do they have an army defending this place?" Ash exclaimed, before the machine was abruptly shoved into his hands.

Paul was facing the oncoming enemy, gun in hand. "Get that out of here," he instructed to Ash and Drew. "I'll hold them off."

"Are you insane?" Drew nearly shrieked.

Their pursuers were close now, far too close. Ash looked between Paul and Drew for a split second, before pulling out his own gun. "Now everyone STOP!" he shouted.

The first of twenty security guards came rushing in, guns ready to fire, before coming to an abrupt halt. Ash had his gun pointed at the glowing blue part of the weapon, cocked and ready. The guards appeared confused, but they lowered their guns a bit.

"Good!" Ash yelled, ensuring he was being heard. "Now everyone is going to turn around and get back in the labs, or else I'll pull this trigger and unleash the full power of this thing! And then we'll all _die,_ okay? So get _back!_"

The guards looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Slowly, one by one, they retreated. Drew and Paul did their best to act like this had been the plan all along, but in truth they were impressed. The guards were now out of the hall. The trio was free to push the weapon down the nearest stairs and out of the building. They were home free.

Until the plan suddenly went wrong.

"Stop, stop, you incompetent guards!" a new voice cried. The shadows of the guards appeared on the wall just outside the doorway as they were ushered back in. Drew, Ash, and Paul froze in their escape, spinning around to see what was going on. Someone was leading the guards after them again.

Drew swore quietly as they turned to face their new opponent. A man walked into the hallway, followed tentatively by the guards who had just left the room. Ash put his gun on the weapon again, looking bored. "Who are you?" yelled the raven haired boy.

"I know who he is," Paul murmured. A horrible rage was building up in him, and his fingers twitched for the gun. But why was _he_ here?

A man in an expensive looking pinstripe suit was leading the advance. He had very square shoulders, a villainous smirk, and a fedora. "Hello," he greeted, and his voice was smooth, honey dripping all over that one word.

The three young men said nothing in response. Paul scowled at the man, Drew twitched with the urge to run, and Ash just stared.

The man, understanding he would get no response, clasped his hands together and smiled slightly. "My name, as I'm sure you already know, is Giovanni."

Paul spat at the ground.

Giovanni looked unimpressed and continued. "That is my weapon you have," he remarked.

"Yeah, well take a good look, cuz you'll never see it again!" snapped Drew. He was still twitching, fighting his flight response to the situation.

"Oh, take it, by all means," said Giovanni lightly. He gave a shrug to show how much interest he had in the object.

Paul, Drew, and Ash's eyes all slid to look at each other, confusion rising in their minds. Paul looked as if he wanted to reply, but no words came.

Giovanni shrugged again. "Or you could shoot it, Ash. Either way, I don't care."

Ash faltered slightly in his grip on the gun. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.

At this, the man let out a genuine laugh. "You really don't recognize me," Giovanni chuckled.

"How do you know my name?" Ash repeated, louder.

"I know quite a bit about you, Ash Ketchum," their adversary replied. His eyes gleamed with a confident light. "More, it seems, than you yourself do."

Ash blinked several times as he stared at Giovanni. His expression went blank, and suddenly he lowered his gun and let it clatter to the tile floor. "I… know you," he mumbled, and Ash began walking towards him.

"Yes you do," Giovanni confirmed. "You just don't remember it."

A loud gunshot broke the silence, and suddenly Giovanni was staggering to the ground. In a heartbeat, Drew had grabbed Ash and yanked him along down the hall. All the guards began firing, sending a blizzard of bullets after the three of them. Paul was already at the end of the hall, gun still in hand, holding open the stairwell door.

"Are you retarded?" Paul was screaming as bullets ricocheted around them. Ash felt some of them hit his bulletproof vest, but it absorbed the shots. It felt like one grazed his leg, but Ash couldn't be sure. They were all in the stairwell and speeding down the stairs. "You drop your weapon, start walking _towards_ the enemy, and it results in a failed mission! Your fault, you hear me? This is all your fault!"

"It was not!" Ash yelled.

"Oh yes it was!" retorted Paul. They had made it outside and were sprinting across the parking lot, dodging the hailstorm of bullets that was raining from the windows. Gary opened the back door of the already-running van, allowing them to collectively leap into the vehicle. Before the door was shut again, they were driving off at highway speeds.

"What was that?" Gary screamed as he floored it through a red light. Several cars honked as they passed. He took a moment to mumble, "Camera better not have gotten us."

Paul glared at Ash as they tumbled with Gary's sharp turn. "A rookie mistake," he said sharply.

"I didn't do anything!" protested Ash.

"You weren't focused," Paul said. "You got lost down memory lane and because of that, I had to shoot Giovanni and we lost the damn weapon!"

"We can't get it now," Drew mumbled in shock. "It's going to detonate."

"We should have cut the power, like I said when we were planning this!" said Ash.

Gary grabbed the nearest thing and hurled it back at Ash's head. _The Official Codebook for the Company_ hit Ash in the side of the skull. "I needed visuals. Cutting the power wouldn't have helped us in the least."

Ash scowled and rubbed his head.

Paul rolled his eyes and leaned back against the side of the van. "You get to tell Cynthia we failed, kid."

With a low hiss, Ash hit his fist on the bottom of the van. "It wasn't my _fault,_" he said.

"Then whose was it?" snapped Paul.

Seething, Ash looked away. He seemed unable to reply, and his cheeks had an angry red tinge. Satisfied, Paul did not speak again.

When they arrived at the Company, Norman was standing outside with Cynthia. Both had their arms folded across their chests, their faces patient. Gary pulled the van up to them, and slowly shut the van off. He stepped out first, followed by the much more cautious Paul and Ash. Drew was last, flipping his hair and looking peeved.

"Well?" Norman questioned.

Paul forced Ash forward, and the boy stumbled. Nervous, he ran a hand through his hair and swallowed. "We, um, we failed," he managed.

Silently, Cynthia scrutinized them with her visible eye. "So you did," she said softly. The Champion observed them a moment longer before spinning around. Her jacket swished about her as she paced back inside the building. Norman gave the group a disappointed look before following her.

Drew grabbed Ash by the shoulder. "I'll take you home," he murmured, and led him away. Paul left not long after, so that Gary remained alone in the parking lot.

Gary could not face his grandfather yet. He knew the old man would not let him off lightly for the failure. Instead, Gary produced the key from his pocket.

Time to find out what L17 was.

***AN: So I'm sure you all know about The Glitch that is preventing so many lovely writers from updating. This chapter would have been up a week ago, but The Glitch was in my way. Oh well. Not my fault.  
**

**I'd like to place an advertisement here about my other stories for other fandoms. Especially my Phineas and Ferb ones. They're short, so... check them out, I guess.  
**

**I got Black Version not too long ago. I don't like not knowing what Pokemon I'll meet but the design rocks. Most of you probably have it and have beaten it already. I'm only on the third Gym. Me so slow. Anywho, thanks for reading and reviewing and whatnot! I love you all!*  
**


	20. Chapter 20

_Twenty_

"So you seriously don't remember it?" May said in shock.

Misty shrugged and continued to sip her milkshake. "Guess it wasn't that exciting."

Dawn smirked. "Can we tell her?"

Leaf and May stared at the blunette. "Are you nuts? She'll kill us!" cried Leaf.

Misty waved as she ate another fry. "I'm right here, guys." She took another drink and fixed them with a deadly stare. "And now you _have_ to tell me what happened."

"Oh I'm not saying it," Leaf decided, sitting back and folding her arms. May followed suit, her expression saying she wanted nothing more to do with this.

Dawn, on the other hand, nearly exploded with the news. "You made out with Ash!"

The redhead, who had been taking another sip from her milkshake, sputtered and choked. "I what?" she exclaimed.

Several people in the ice cream shop turned on their barstools to look at the four in the booth. May distinctly raised her hand to hide her face from the onlookers, and Leaf did her best to hide behind her.

"You and Ash totally made out," Dawn continued brightly. "Like—." She broke off abruptly to imitate exactly what Ash and Misty did with an imaginary partner.

"Ew!" Misty shouted. She threw a handful of fries at the blunette sitting across from her. "I did _not_ do that with Ash, of all people!"

"Do you want eyewitness accounts?" offered May. "I'm sure _somebody_ got a video of it."

Misty's jaw dropped. "But that didn't happen!" she protested. "We were just dancing!"

"You could call it that," Dawn said cheekily before drinking more of her shake.

This comment earned her another bundle of fries to the face. "And I don't even remember it!" Misty whined. She let her face fall in her hands. "I'm as bad as my sisters."

"No, your sisters usually remember these things," Dawn told her.

Leaf and May shot Dawn death glares, but the airhead of a girl did not notice.

Dawn ate a few fries and continued. "I mean, you two even got _shot_ at and stuff. You were _really_ drunk."

"Hey Dawn," said May, leaning forward.

"Hm?" replied Dawn, straw in her mouth.

"Shut up," Leaf and May ordered in unison.

Dawn pouted and looked away. "Jeez, no need to be so mean," she whined.

Misty rubbed her eyes with her palms and sighed. "I don't believe it. How could I have become such a slut?" She paused and looked up. "And what do you mean, we were shot at?"

"We mean a guy came in with a gun and shot at you two," Leaf said plainly.

"Paul saved the day!" Dawn told them enthusiastically. "I saw the whole thing. He was amazing." A dreamy look overcame the girl and she smiled.

"I'm almost positive it has something to do with their job," May stated firmly. She was glaring at her milkshake. "Drew _still_ didn't explain anything to me. I think they might work for some weird drug corporation."

Leaf shook her head adamantly. "If it's an official company, it can't deal drugs. At least, not as their main product. There's no saying they don't do it on the side, but it can't be their main purpose."

"Did anyone actually see what the place was called?" asked Misty.

May shook her head. "All I ever saw was 'Company.'"

"There was a really weird word," added Leaf. "It started with an S, and I think it was made up."

"Could we find the place again?" queried Dawn.

"It's probably not a good idea," Misty said. "Considering they said we would die if we ever went back."

"They wouldn't kill us," May argued.

"No," Misty agreed. "But there's no telling what that Cynthia chick would do."

A stunned silence fell over the table. Misty was right, of course, and the thought of Cynthia made them shiver.

"Maybe we can corner them," Dawn suggested.

Leaf disregarded that idea with a wave of her hand. "We tried that, remember? It didn't work."

"Why don't we see if we can get hired by this place?" said May.

"I think they'd sooner kill us," Misty told her.

Dawn looked disappointed. "We don't even have any options. This sucks." She pouted into her milkshake.

"Could be worse," Leaf said, rapping her nails on the table. The other three looked at her expectantly. The girl smiled and continued, "We could have had the best night of our lives and not remember a thing."

"You're number one on my hit list, Leaf," growled Misty. "Right before Ash."

* * *

It had nearly killed him, but Gary had had to wait until morning to check out L17. He'd had to endure the cold anger radiating off Paul as the four of them sat in the briefing room, awaiting their punishment. Cynthia had called them in individually to retell the story, and Gary had done so as quickly as he could. The sooner he was done, the sooner he could go, and by default the sooner he could figure out L17.

By the time he'd been set free, Gary had decided that L17 was a room. He'd never been to the L hall, but there was a first for everything.

The L hall was on the third floor, smack dab in the middle of the Company, between the K and M halls. Gary walked down the hall briskly. He wondered briefly how much security was in this hallway, but he soon dismissed the thought. He hadn't seen anyone since he'd been up, so the hall wasn't very busy. It most likely wasn't watched much.

L17 was at the end of the hall, on the right side. It had an unimpressive black plaque anointed on its door and an old fashioned doorknob that did not correlate with the others in the hall. Gary wondered why this door had been missed when the knobs were replaced.

Hesitantly, the researcher raised the key to the knob. His hand shook slightly, but he forced himself to open the door. _It's just a door,_ he told himself. _What's the worst that could happen?_

"You could be killed for breaking the rules," Gary answered himself, and with a final breath of preparation, he launched forward.

The door did not swing open as if pulled by some inside force. It did not even creak. It opened like a normal door, never leaving Gary's grasp as he peered into the room. "Weird," he breathed.

The room resembled the lab quite a bit. There were tables set up, a sink and a Bunsen burner, and several dusty beakers and vials still sitting in their holders. A good deal of dust lay about the linoleum, making the room appear gray.

Now Gary was curious. He stepped across the room, not bothering to close the door behind him, and went straight for the filing cabinet. Dust rose as he pulled open the drawer. Gary peered inside. The files looked normal; organized with a musty smell about them. He hesitantly pulled one out of place, examining it.

"Ariados," he read. The word made no sense, and seemed made up. Gary stared at it a moment longer, trying to make sense of it, before opening the folder up.

The image he saw made him jump. A photo of a great, venomous looking red spider was staring at him. It had villainous pincers and unnatural marks on its red body, and its long spindly legs were enough to make Gary shudder. Worse, though, was that the picture had been taken next to a tree. The sheer size of the monster made Gary want to turn and run.

Beyond the picture, there were several documents about the spider. Gary leafed through page after page of blacked out wording, as if it were military code. Stuff like eating habits and known abilities, however, were left ominously clear.

_DIET: Yanma, Weedle, Beedrill, _

_ABILITIES: can kill_

Gary stared at these words in confusion. He was not understanding anything he was reading. Frustrated, Gary tossed the file onto the counter and grabbed another from the drawer. "Legendaries (Known)," he read aloud. "At least that's English." He began flipping through the folder.

What he saw nearly made his heart stop.

Photos of fantastic creatures occupied every other page. Gary stared in wonder as he took in the blurry pictures, trying to make out what they were. Most of them had no names, and the information following each was sadly lacking. However, it was clear this file was important. According to the log at the end, there had been several search parties to locate these beings, whatever they were. The areas searched seemed to have been named after each branch of the Company. A creature called Ho-oh, whose picture resembled a birdlike blob in the sky, was apparently in an area called Kanto. Gary grew more and more confused. It didn't make any sense. The information did not add up.

The young scientist went through the whole of the folder, becoming more fascinated and puzzled by the second. It was amazing, finding something he didn't understand. Finally, Gary tossed that folder on top of the first one, and conjured another out of the drawer.

This one was titled "Experiment 01."

Thrilled, Gary tore into the file, ready to absorb all the information it stored. That is, until he read the first sentence.

"Volunteer Ash Ketchum, level 1, enters portal at 8:04 AM," Gary narrated, his eyes growing wide.

Gary knew what level 1 meant. Level 1 meant you had access to anything and everything. Level 1 meant you were beyond Elitist status. Level 1 was as high as you could go without being Champion.

Ash was not a level 1.

Gary's enthusiasm dissipated as he continued, his eyes lingering on every word as if he were scared he'd miss something.

_Portal left open for three hours. Ketchum returns at 10:47 AM with a bird. Bird is approximately 1.0 ft. in height and weighs 4.0 lbs. Resembles pigeon. Named "Pidgey." Arrived dead. Dissection begins at 11:23 AM. _

Blinking, Gary lowered the folder. Ash went through a portal, and brought back a dead Pidgey? But Pidgey were one of his grandfather's creations! One of the Pokemon. And what was this portal thing?

As if it had called him, Gary slowly turned around. There it was.

Cautiously, Gary crept to the machine. A white sheet, gone gray with dust, hung over it, hiding it from view. Gary extended a shaking hand that gripped the sheet in a fist. Taking a deep breath, he pulled.

The sheet came off with a shushing noise, causing the dust to fly up around him. Gary had to take a step back. The machine was terrifying, and looked like something out of a science fiction movie. A great ring of metal rose above Gary's head, covered in unlit lights, and its base was just as intimidating. Wires hung out of the ring's inside, their ends stripped to the copper. On the base, Gary noticed several meters. Some measured the pressure, some temperature, and some vortex strength. Gary didn't even know what vortex strength was.

And since he did not understand, Gary thought about it. He stood there before the machine and thought about it.

And thought about it.

And pondered it endlessly.

And suddenly, Gary understood a whole lot more.

* * *

Ash sat in Cynthia's office. He hadn't slept, had already been called in for questioning twice about the mission, and here he was a third time. He was exhausted, parched, and terrified. His mother was just in the other room, waiting silently for her son to come talk to her. Ash wouldn't go talk to her. Assassins don't talk to their mothers.

Pikachu was curled up on his lap, asleep and unaware of the imminent doom Cynthia would no doubt bestow upon them. When she got there, at least.

Abruptly, the door opened. Ash twisted around to see Delia stand curiously as Cynthia entered and shut the door. She marched directly to her desk, sat down in her chair, and began tapping her vicious fingernails on the surface. "Do you know what just happened?" queried the Champion in a cold voice.

Ash shrugged and shook his head. He honestly had no idea, and hoped this wasn't some sort of final assessment.

Cynthia made a disappointed sound with her mouth. "Do you know what happened just before your mission?"

Again, the boy shook his head no.

"Leonard's body was found," Cynthia informed him in an almost happy tone.

Ash winced. He didn't know what to make of what she'd just told him. How was he supposed to respond?

"And this morning," Cynthia continued, still tapping her nails, "four hundred people died on the East coast." She pulled a paper out of her jacket and glanced at it. "At least, that's the body count so far."

The boy winced again. He knew what she meant. The weapon they should have stolen was hard at work. "How did they get it there so fast?" Ash asked in a quiet voice.

"If they can build a machine that selectively _kills_ people, do you think they have planes?" Cynthia demanded. She looked extremely irritated.

Ash looked down shamefully and scratched Pikachu's head to distract himself. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Cynthia stood up. "'Sorry' isn't good enough, Ketchum," she said dangerously. "Because of _your_ failure last night, over four hundred people are dead! The papers are already printing headlines claiming that the Germans have poisoned our population, that it's time to go to war. I'm about to lose my entire line of defense, _and_ my country."

"Then why don't you fire me?" Ash cried, suddenly furious.

"You're too valuable an asset!" claimed Cynthia.

"I'm too valuable?" Ash repeated. "What do you mean, I'm too valuable?"

Cynthia glared at him with her lone visible eye. "You're the secret weapon. We _need_ you for—."

"For what?" Ash interrupted. "You keep telling me I'm the secret weapon, but I don't even know what for! I'm sick of all these secrets; I want some answers." He folded his arms and leaned back expectantly.

Suddenly, Cynthia leaned over the desk, her tall frame allowing her to get right in Ash's face so that he could feel the heat of her breath. "You are a soldier," she hissed. "You take orders and you don't question them. If you can't handle that, we'll take you down. We know a lot more than you can even imagine, Ash. Now get out of my office."

Ash maintained her glare for a long time before he spoke. "Something isn't right here," he whispered. "And with your line of defense gone, I'd suggest you watch your back." He spat the last word with as much venom as he could muster, though Cynthia did not flinch.

Without waiting for a retort, Ash pushed Cynthia away, scooped Pikachu off his lap, and left the office. Delia stood as he left, looking curious, but Ash did not meet her eyes. He kept walking, stone silent, and did not look back.

* * *

Gary ran through the halls of the Company, bursting with a secret he just _had_ to tell. He scanned every room he passed for the purple head of Paul. Once, he thought he saw him, but it turned out to be Fantina with her hair down.

The researcher raced by Jessie and James, then skidded to a stop. "Hey!" he exclaimed. The two former Rockets, who were sitting in their designated office together, looked up curiously. "Have you seen Paul?"

"Why is everyone always looking for Paul?" James whined. "Why doesn't anyone come looking for me?"

"No, twerp, we haven't seen that freak," Jessie said dismissively. Gary was about to move on when Jessie called him back. "Twerp!" she cried.

Gary popped his head back in. "What? Kinda busy."

Jessie's expression was unreadable. "We heard you saw Cassidy and Butch," she stated.

"I didn't, but they were there," Gary replied.

Jessie's face twitched slightly, but Gary still couldn't read her emotions. "Okay," she said.

Gary looked at her a moment longer before he sped off, once again in search of Paul.

Paul, on the other hand, was doing his best to avoid people in general. He had holed himself up in some room that no one used often, let out his Torterra, and sat on the floor. He said nothing to the great beast, but the turtle seemed to understand. It nosed its way under his arm, its head resting there. Paul did not respond. He had not raised his Pokemon with love. They knew how he treated them.

"Is this what I should be doing?" Paul asked aloud. His Torterra glanced up curiously. "I've failed the biggest mission I've ever been assigned. Maybe I shouldn't be here."

"What would Mom say?"

Paul jumped. A man with dark purple hair was standing on the other end of the room, his arms folded across his chest. Paul swallowed. "What are you doing here?" he demanded shakily.

"I'm helping you," Reggie answered. "I'm your brother."

Adamantly, Paul shook his head. "But you're dead," he murmured.

Reggie nodded. "Yes, that sounds right." He walked over to Paul and sat down next to him. "So what's on your mind?"

Paul looked at Torterra. "You wouldn't understand," he growled. Torterra was staring at Reggie, as if trying to register him in its memory.

"You don't think I know?" Reggie mumbled, elbowing Paul. It surprised the assassin that he actually felt it. "You're a killer, Paul. You've murdered eighteen people."

"You kept count?" Paul snarled.

Reggie shrugged. "It's boring in heaven. Had to do something to pass the time."

"So I suppose you're going to tell me to repent and beg forgiveness from God?" said Paul. He glared at his brother, daring him to say it.

"No," replied Reggie calmly. "Although I would highly recommend it."

Paul just glared.

Reggie smiled slightly. "I can't tell you what to do. You're twenty-three. As old as I was when I died."

This made Paul freeze. "And what does that mean?" he hissed.

"It could mean nothing," Reggie answered. He was infuriatingly calm. "Or it could mean everything. I don't know."

"How is this helping?" Paul wondered, rolling his eyes around to give his brother an exasperated stare.

Reggie smacked his forehead with his palm. "Right! Sorry, I forgot what I came here for." He placed his hand on Paul's shoulders. "Listen. Ash needs your help. I don't know what for, and I don't know why, but he _needs_ you. You're going to get in a lot of trouble for it, but you need to wake him up."

Paul gaped at him. "What the hell does that mean?"

"And you need to do it," Reggie remarked, glancing at his watch, "in the next fifteen minutes, or else the world goes kaboom."

Blinking, Paul continued to gape. "Huh?"

"See you later, Paul," Reggie said, waving. Paul blinked, and he was alone.

Paul was still sorting out whether or not he'd been hallucinating when Gary came barging into the room. "Oh jeez," Gary gasped, looking winded. "Thank God I found you. I've got some things you need to see."

"It better be important," Paul snapped.

Gary nodded certainly. "It's probably the most fascinating thing I've ever stumbled on." He spun around and headed out into the hall, his lab coat trailing out behind him like a cape.

Rolling his eyes and suppressing the idea that this might have been what Reggie was talking about, Paul followed, returning Torterra on his way out.

* * *

Ash was getting ready for his next Gym battle. Byron was already out on the stadium, waiting with his shovel poised at his side. Ash scratched Pikachu's head, wondering why he was still battling. After his dispute with Cynthia, he wanted nothing more than to fight the system.

Finally, Ash returned Pikachu to his pokeball, much to the mouse's displeasure, and stepped out into the arena. He did not want to win. He wanted to burn the Company down to the ground, if anything.

Cynthia's voice rang with the announcement of the battle, and the mental challenge began.

* * *

Gary had taken Paul to L17, torn open the filing cabinet, and started pulling out file after file.

"Look!" Gary cried, brandishing one in his face. "This one documents Ash's training, from team member to level 1! It doesn't make sense!"

Paul peered into the drawer. "Are all these files about Ash?"

"Pretty much," Gary huffed as he threw the folder down on the counter. "Some are about Pokemon. This machine," stated the researcher, walking over to the strange metal ring and gesturing to it urgently, "is apparently a portal to a whole _world_ of Pokemon. They're not creations from a lab. They're natural creatures!"

"What's this one?" Paul asked. He held up a file curiously. Someone had gotten a little stamp-happy with the "Confidential" and "Classified" stamps and marked up the entire front of the folder. Paul flipped open the cover. "The ARK Project," he read.

Gary strolled back over. "I don't know. It's all in code or blacked out."

Paul turned to the next page, revealing a page that was almost entirely blacked out. Random, unhelpful words remained legible, like "for" or "then." Paul scowled. "Wow. Official records and it looks like this."

"I could only get one name out of it," Gary told him. He teased the folder out of Paul's hands and skimmed the pages. "Here," he said after he found it. Gary handed it back to Paul. "Alexander. I don't know _anyone _named Alexander."

"Why is it talking about morning talk shows?" Paul wondered.

Gary looked at the pages, puzzled. "Where?"

"Here." Paul pointed. "Stuff about Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah, Regis and Ketch, Good Mor—."

"It's Regis and Kelly," Gary corrected.

Paul blinked. "It says Regis and Ketch," he said. Suddenly, Paul's eyes lit up with realization. "Quick, Oak," he demanded, "what was Ash's father's name?"

Gary frowned. "I don't know—everyone just called him Alex, or Mr. K."

The cogs in Paul's brain were whirring. "Gary," he said slowly, still thinking out his hypothesis, "did you see anything suggesting memory blanking?"

"Yeah, there was a whole file on it," Gary replied. He reached into the drawer and pulled it out. "'Decision made to blank head operative. Current location: Kanto. Relocated to: Sinnoh.'" Gary lowered the file and stared. "You don't think…" he trailed off.

"I most certainly do," Paul responded. Abruptly, Paul slid the file into the drawer, not caring where it ended up, and slammed the drawer shut. He charged out of the room, not even glancing back to see if Gary was following.

Gary ran out into the hall, watching Paul as the assassin raced away. "Where are you going?" he called.

Paul did not answer.

* * *

Drew stood at the concession stand. There was a small intermission between the physical challenge and the Pokemon battle, and the green haired man had decided to buy popcorn. This was how Paul found him.

Paul grabbed Drew by the shoulders, making him jump. He turned Drew around to face him, and Drew relaxed when he realized it was Paul. "Hey, what's up?" Drew greeted. He nodded to the stairs, leading up into the stands. "You're missing the match."

"What match?" Paul questioned. "And where's Ash?"

Drew looked at the older man like he was slightly insane. "Ash is having his fifth Gym battle." Paul's eyebrows knit, confused. "Right now," Drew added.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" demanded Paul.

Shrugging, Drew replied, "Don't know. But come on. I saved you a seat." Candice, who was running the concessions, handed Drew his popcorn from behind the counter and beamed brightly. Drew thanked her and led Paul up the stairs.

Paul followed as if in a daze. He had maybe eight minutes now to wake Ash up, but how could he do that when Ash was a hundred feet below him, and that distance was growing?

"Here." Drew sat down in the bleachers. "Right next to the Champion's box."

Blinking, Paul sat down. He glanced down at Ash, now at least two hundred feet below, not to mention the fifty rows of bleachers between them. Albeit empty bleachers, as the Company wasn't that big people wise, but still; it was a ways to walk.

Down below, in the field, Ash entered with Pikachu on his shoulder. Paul was not close enough to see facial expressions, but it seemed that Ash was… angry? He couldn't be sure.

"Ash doesn't look too excited, does he?" Drew pointed out. He offered Paul some popcorn, but the stony man glared at it until Drew pulled it away again. Not the slightest bit disheartened, Drew reached down to the row below. "Popcorn, Ms. K?"

The woman in front of them turned around, and Paul saw it was Delia. "Oh thank you, Drew," she said warmly, smiling.

Paul leaned down as Delia took a fistful of popcorn. "Ms. Ketchum," he began, and she flicked her gaze to him, attentive, "you've seen this scene already, haven't you?" He waved his hand at the stadium below.

Delia giggled. "No, of course not," she insisted.

"Mrs. Ketchum," Paul said again. "You moved here from Kanto, right?"

"Well that's hardly a secret—," Delia replied, but Paul cut her off.

"But Ash completed all his training in Kanto, didn't he?" Paul fixed her with a hard stare. Delia blinked and did not respond. With a sigh, Paul leaned a little closer. "What do you know about the ARK Project?" he murmured.

Delia's eyes grew very wide and glassy. "They're going to kill him," she whispered. "They wanted him ready to fight my husband, but he isn't. He never will be." Delia took a shaky breath and continued in an even quieter voice, if that were possible. "Ash resisted the Company last time, so they tried to start over. He's not cooperating this time, either, so they're going to kill him." Tears started leaking out of her chocolate eyes. "Right here, in front of everyone."

All color drained from Paul's face. "What," he said disbelievingly.

"They'll make it look like an accident, but…" Delia trailed off, unable to finish due to the sobs rising in her throat.

Paul gripped the woman by her shoulders. "They blanked Ash," he said, and Delia nodded. "And now they're going to kill him." She nodded again.

Shocked, Paul sat back in his seat. Drew said something about making Delia cry, but Paul did not hear it. His mind was whirring, trying to piece together the puzzle of Ash.

Abruptly, Paul reached down and grabbed Delia again. "Do you have any idea what the trigger is?"

Delia shook her head uselessly. "They said it was something Alex would say to him, something he wouldn't be able to resist saying."

Paul sat back again, utterly confused. How could they be certain Ash's father would say it? What could possibly be so universal that they could guarantee him saying it, but ensure no one else triggered it by mistake?

"Drew!" Paul said suddenly, and Drew whipped around. "If you were meeting someone you didn't remember, what is something they'd say to you?"

Drew stared at him. "Did that come out of nowhere or what?" he remarked.

"Just answer," growled Paul.

After pondering it for a moment, Drew shrugged, disinterested. "I don't know, their name?"

Paul paused, staring at Drew. He blinked several times, while Drew had already started watching the arena. "Good, it's about to start," noted Drew.

Paul was suddenly on his feet and sprinting into the announcer's box. Cynthia had the microphone in her hand, raising it to her lips. Flint sat beside her, kicking back with his feet on the counter in front of them.

"Let the—," Cynthia began, but she never got to finish.

With a loud thud, Cynthia fell to the floor from the force of Paul's weight. The microphone was knocked from her hands, ringing. Flint hardly had time to react before Paul socked him dead in the face and knocked him out. People were starting to run up the bleachers, wondering what all the commotion was about. Scrambling, Paul snatched the microphone from the ground. He'd figured it out. He knew exactly what the trigger was.

"Alexander," Paul said slowly and clearly into the microphone. His voice reverberated around the stadium, and he was certain Ash had heard him. "Regis. Ketchum."

There was a loud crack as a gun went off, and Paul arched his back in pain. He felt the bullet ripping through him, and the edge of his vision started to go dark. His legs gave out under him, and Paul fell to the ground. His breathing was growing shallower and fainter. This was it.

_Twenty-three is a good number,_ Paul thought, and then his vision went black.

***AN: So it's my birthday! Yay! Sweet sixteen, ya'll! And this chapter is kinda like my birthday present to you guys. Aren't you excited? I sure am, but that's cuz it's my birthday, I guess. Have a great day everyone!**

**Do you guys think I should change the summary? If so, let me know, and if you could give me some suggestions, that would rock. See ya!***


	21. Chapter 21

_Twenty-one_

Ash staggered involuntarily, clutching his skull. It felt like there had been a dam in his brain, and it had suddenly collapsed. Memories and thoughts came flooding into his mind like a storm. Ash couldn't take it. There was so much color and flashing, so many things just running through his head. And it _hurt._

And suddenly, it stopped.

Ash blinked as if the sunlight were too bright. He lost his balance again, but quickly regained it. Pikachu twisted around, out in the arena, looking curiously at his master. Byron was not watching his opponent, but rather, the stands.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. "Volt Tail!"

Pikachu's eyes suddenly grew brighter. The mouse put on his battle scowl and leapt into the air, remembering all his training, everything he and Ash had done years ago. Pikachu somersaulted, sparking with electricity and glowing a soft pink color.

Pikachu's attack collided with the ground, sending a violent electric pulse throughout the stadium. Byron and his Pokemon stiffened with the shock, both of them falling to the ground and not getting up.

Ash and Pikachu were already sprinting out of the stadium. They bolted through the halls of the Company, out the doors, and were gone.

* * *

Drew dove into the announcer's box with a cry. Cynthia lowered her gun, her face one of fury as she stared at Paul's still form. Flint was coming to and nursing his bleeding nose, gaping between Cynthia and Paul.

"Get him out of here," Cynthia ordered, and she swept out of the box.

Drew knelt by Paul's side. With shaking hands, he placed a finger on Paul's neck.

There was no pulse.

Sobs were starting to rise in Drew's throat as he turned Paul over, searching for the telltale signs of breathing. He saw none.

Desperate, Drew pressed his ear to Paul's chest. He begged for a heartbeat, pleaded, prayed.

Nothing.

Someone placed their hand on Drew's shoulder. Drew knocked him away, turning to glare at him. Flint backed off, his eyes sad. With a shaking breath, Drew swallowed back his tears and scooped Paul's body up in his arms. He fixed his expression into a placid stare, making his vision unfocused so he could avoid the looks people were bound to give him. Drew carried Paul out of the stands, down the stairs, and to the only place he could think of.

Drew kicked open the door of the briefing room, Paul still in his arms, and entered the room bridal style. His arms were growing weak from Paul's weight. Drew threw a few papers off the table and laid Paul on it as gently as he could. He arranged Paul's arms so that they were folded over his stomach in a peaceful way.

Then Drew sat down in one of the chairs and let his tears fall.

It was awful, seeing Paul like this. It made Drew's stomach fill with lead and his nose itch with tears. He gazed at Paul's face, wondering what could have come over him in his last moments. Had he gone crazy? Was that why he had tried to kill Cynthia?

And what the hell did he say into the microphone?

Distressed, Drew pulled out his cell phone. He needed to talk to someone, just hear the voice of someone who was not involved with this.

"Hello?"

Drew almost hung up. It was a bad idea, calling her, but… "Hi May," he managed.

"Drew!" May said happily. "Thank God you called. I have some things I want to talk to you about—."

"What would you do," Drew interrupted, "if your best friend left you?"

May blinked at this question, earning curious stares from her friends. They were in Leaf's room, playing Monopoly like they always did at her house. "I… guess I'd be pretty pissed off," she answered. Misty mouthed something to her, and May waved her away.

Drew chuckled hollowly at her answer. "I suppose I'm mad," he went on.

"Okay, what are you talking about?" May said, demanding now.

"I mean," Drew continued, ignoring her, "why would he do that? Why the hell would he just go crazy like that?"

May frowned in confusion. "You're scaring me, Drew," she warned. Her face blanched. "Are you drunk?"

Drew did not acknowledge her. His tears were starting to take over now, affecting his voice. "I don't get it!" he stammered. "I just don't get it."

May's jaw slowly fell open, much to the concern of her friends. "Are… are you _crying?_" she accused. Misty, Dawn, and Leaf all looked at each other, their expressions rather giggly at the thought of a man crying.

"Of course I'm crying!" Drew nearly yelled. "Paul is dead!"

"Paul is _dead?_" repeated May with shock.

"What?" wailed Dawn.

Drew sniffed angrily. "Yeah," he confirmed. "And I _hate_ him for it." On the word hate, Drew slammed his fist down on Paul's chest, as if trying to damage him more.

What happened was quite the opposite.

Paul flew into an upright position, gasping for breath with his eyes wide. He fell back against the table, shocked, and started moaning with pain.

Drew hung up the phone in an instant. "What the hell?" he cried.

Still gasping, Paul stared at him. "There is a bullet," he managed, "in my chest." He reached up, gripped onto Drew's shirt, and yanked him down. Paul stared at him with wild eyes, and took care to enunciate each letter of his next statement. "It fucking hurts."

"Oh," said Drew, blinking. He nodded. "Right."

* * *

"So you just hit him and he woke up?" Joy asked as she started pulling medical tools from her bag.

Drew flipped Paul on his stomach so the nurse could work better. "Pretty much," he confirmed. Drew wiped his cheeks, wondering if they were still streaked with tears. He hoped not.

A squeaking noise was heard out in the hall, and Gary came rushing in. "Is he dead?" he asked, his voice higher than normal. "Oh God, please tell me he's not dead."

"He's not dead," Drew snapped.

Gary paused for a moment, taking in the sight of Joy cutting the bullet out of Paul's back and Drew standing over them. Gary wiped at his eyes and sniffed. "Good," he stated.

"So he didn't have any pulse earlier?" Joy wondered. She removed her bloody tweezers from Paul's back, a small metal bullet clutched between them. After staring at it curiously, Joy set it on a white cloth she had laid out and picked up her needle.

Drew shook his head. "No heartbeat, nothing."

The nurse proceeded to stitch Paul up. "That's very odd."

"How is that odd?" said Drew incredulously. "He got shot!"

Gary leaned over Paul, examining Joy's work. "It… didn't hit anything vital?" Gary wondered.

"Nope," answered the nurse. "It hardly made it to his lungs. At such close range, I would have expected the bullet to go right through him." Joy bit the thread off and wiped the wound with something that stank like disinfectant. "You're very lucky, Paul," she told him.

"Yeah, yeah," Paul grunted as he pushed himself up. He yanked his blue shirt back on. "Whatever."

Nurse Joy smirked. "You must have died of fright," she noted.

Paul scowled at her, while Drew actually bit back a laugh. "Thanks," said Paul sarcastically.

The nurse waved as she left the room. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you lived."

As soon as she was gone, Drew gave Paul a playful shove. "Died of fright," he snickered.

"And yet you still cried," Paul retorted.

"Don't tease the guy who brought you back to life," said Drew.

Paul took a deep breath and massaged his chest painfully. "And broke my ribs in the process." He paused, suddenly remembering. "What happened to Ash?"

"Pikachu did this crazy-ass lightning attack, and they fled the premises," Gary informed him. "At least, that was Roark's version of it."

Paul nodded. "So it worked," he said.

"What worked?" Drew asked.

"Ash had a memory blank," Gary informed him. "And Paul triggered it."

* * *

Dawn was, to put it delicately, freaking out.

"Paul is dead!" she was shrieking. "No! No no no! He can't be dead!"

"Call him back!" Misty ordered May.

May was frantically dialing, again and again. "He won't pick up!"

"I don't get it," Leaf said slowly. "How could he just… be dead?"

"I _knew_ something was weird about their job!" cried Misty.

"You think it was _work_ that killed him?" Dawn exclaimed.

Misty sneered. "I'll bet it was Cynthia."

"God, why won't he answer?" yelled May. She tossed her phone across the room, where it thudded on the carpet and miraculously did not break.

"Are you girls alright?" Leaf's mom entered the room, her face concerned.

"We're fine," all except Dawn replied automatically. Instead, Dawn buried her face in her arms, crying silently.

Leaf's mom gave them all a skeptical look before she closed the door again.

Immediately, the girls huddled up, their expressions serious. "Okay, what we need to do is come up with a plan," Misty instructed.

"Wow, genius," Leaf agreed sarcastically. Misty glared, and Leaf rolled her eyes.

"A plan for what?" asked May.

"I don't know, just… a plan!" snapped Misty.

"This isn't helping," moaned Dawn. She sat up and sniffled. "I think I'm going to go home." Without waiting for their reactions, she stood, flattened her skirt, and left.

Leaf gazed angrily at Misty. "Nice job, you upset her even more."

"Screw you, Leaf, I'm leaving too," snapped Misty. She got to her feet and stormed out of the room, rolling up her sleeves as if she'd like to punch something.

May cocked her head curiously as she looked at Leaf. "What's the matter with you?" she asked. "That wasn't like you at all."

Sighing, Leaf ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know," she said honestly.

May blinked and looked away. "I guess I'll go home too, then," she mumbled. With that, May retrieved her phone and left Leaf alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Misty kicked her way into the gym, mumbling incoherent things about Leaf. She slammed the door behind her and stormed past her sisters in the kitchen.

"Hey Misty!" Daisy called. "We're, like, making cupcakes, so do you like, wanna help us?"

"No!" Misty shouted. She made her way up the stairs, kicked her bedroom door open, and locked it behind her. Snorting with frustration, Misty turned around and prepared to jump on her bed.

Instead, she let out a small scream.

"How the hell did you get in here?" cried Misty.

Ash pointed to the window from where he sat on her bed. "It was open."

Misty gaped at him. "Well you'd better get back out of it before I throw you out of it," she said.

"Look," Ash began. He stood up for emphasis. "We need to leave. Right now."

The redhead let out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Ash grabbed her arm sternly, making her wince. "Yes, you are," he informed her. "Even if I have to carry you in a bag, you're coming with me."

Misty continued chuckling. Ash's face became confused, until Misty abruptly punched him in the stomach. "Get _off_ me!" she shrieked, wrenching herself out of his grasp. She ran for the door, but Ash had recovered. He grabbed her again and pinned her against the door.

"Listen," he said in a low voice. "The people I work for are going to come _kill_ me. Do you understand?" Misty attempted to escape, but Ash just forced her back against the door. "Misty!" he exclaimed. "Come on, listen. We need to leave _right now._"

"Why do I have to go?" Misty whined. "I didn't do anything!"

Ash's eyes grew soft. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and he released his grip on her. "But they know I like you. Which means they'll come after you."

Misty stared at him. "What kind of people do you _work_ for?"

"Bad people," Ash replied. "And they _will_ kill you. They'll use you as bait for me and then they'll kill you. So I'm begging you, please come with me."

Hesitant, Misty glanced at the bed. "Did you already pack my things?" she questioned.

Ash rolled his eyes, grabbed the bag he had full with Misty's stuff, and threw it at her. "Yes, I did. Make sure I got everything."

"I didn't say I'd come yet, Ash," Misty reminded him viciously. She peered in the bag and pulled out a box. "Tampons?" she said incredulously.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. Girls need those things, right?"

Misty sighed and threw them back in the bag. She mumbled something inaudible and zipped the bag closed. "Do you have cash?" she asked tiredly.

"I have three thousand dollars," Ash replied. "We'll be fine."

"Where the hell did you get three thousand dollars?" cried Misty.

Ash shrugged. "I remembered I had a stash inside my pillow."

Misty nodded dumbly. "Okay. Great." She hitched the backpack onto her shoulder and clapped her hands. "Now what?"

"You need to leave your phone," Ash instructed. Warily, Misty pulled the device from her pocket and set it on the desk. "They can track it."

"Ah," said Misty understandingly. "Wouldn't want that now, would we?"

Ash stared at her seriously. "This isn't a joke."

"I know," Misty retorted indignantly. Ash headed for the window, and she followed like a puppy. "Why are we going this way?" she wondered.

"No reason, really," Ash replied, "except that it's fun to jump out of windows." He lowered himself off the ledge and dropped into the night. "I'll catch you," he called out of the darkness.

"Can you see?" Misty demanded.

"Of course I can see, now jump!"

Like a terrified kitten, Misty clambered onto the windowsill and dangled her legs off it. "This is so stupid," she whispered, and with a scream she let herself fall.

Misty landed hard in Ash's arms, causing him to stumble slightly. "God, you're fat," he teased.

"God, you're a dick," Misty bit back.

Ash grinned at her. "This is going to be fun," he said, and he grabbed her hand and started running.

"So did you say you had to get me because you like me?" Misty asked playfully.

"You need to get the water out of your ears," Ash teased, "because I don't like you at all."

Misty smirked, gripping Ash's warm hand a little tighter. This _would_ be fun.

* * *

"Mr. Giovanni," Brock greeted, bowing slightly. "I know who the Company has been calling their secret weapon."

Giovanni sat down, wincing with pain from his wounded shoulder. "Really," he said silkily. "And who is it?"

Brock smiled. "It's Ash Ketchum, sir."

Next to Giovanni, another man hissed furiously and slammed his fist down on the table. "Of course they would use him," he growled.

"Your son is no obstacle in our mission, Alex," Giovanni told the man. "Especially since he seems to have been blanked."

Alexander Regis Ketchum gaped at Giovanni's words. "They blanked my son?" he breathed.

Giovanni nodded grimly. "Yes. I could send any one of my agents to kill him, whenever you like."

Alex shook his head. "No, no, if Ash has to die, I will be the one to kill him."

"Fine with me," said Giovanni. He glanced back at Brock. "You're dismissed." Brock left, and Giovanni returned his attention to Alex. "You're sure we can get this portal?"

"Absolutely positive," Alex replied. "And with an army of those creatures, no one will stop us taking over the world."

***AN: And here we come to the realization that this is in fact a Pokemon story, with Team Rocket looking for world domination and everything. Isn't Alex a great dad? I personally don't like that last bit right there. Maybe I'll change it. Dunno.**

**I apologize for the lame part about Paul coming back from the dead up there. I WILL explain it, I swear! Just... later.  
**

**I've been meaning to ask, should I change the story's summary? Please let me know, and if you have suggestions, feel free to tell me.***


	22. Chapter 22

_Twenty-two_

The next day, all branches of the Company lost their Gym Leaders and Elitists. The country was at war, and as dictated by their contract, the Company had to provide their best agents for espionage.

All of the Gym Leaders and Elitists were shipped off to war, from scared little Maylene in Hoenn to elderly Bertha in Sinnoh.

Three were sent back immediately.

Maylene, because of her age, was allowed to go home and stay with her father. Janine, in Kanto, was also sent home, though her father Koga remained with the troops.

The third was Norman.

"Why aren't you gone?" snapped Jessie as she sipped her tea. They were seated in the break room, enjoying the coffee shop music that played over the speakers.

Norman smirked. "I have asthma," he informed her. "My uncle got out of Vietnam for the same condition."

"A whole family of draft dodgers," Jessie said idly. Her tea cup clinked as she set it on the saucer. "How nice."

"Jessie, look what I found!" James cried, rushing into the break room. "Call records!"

Jessie peered at the paper he'd slammed on the table with disinterest. "How fascinating." Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Flint called _who?_" she exclaimed with disbelief.

"I know! Isn't it scandalous?" James giggled.

Norman rolled his eyes. "They're perfect for each other," he mumbled. He stood, stretched, and sighed. "I think I'm gonna go home," he said loudly.

"Ooh, look how many times Candice called Volkner!" Jessie laughed, pointing to the paper. They paid the Gym Leader no mind as he left the room.

Norman headed to his office, passing a few meager employees as he went. The halls felt empty without the other Gym Leaders and Elitists. It was rather lonely.

A boy with dark blue hair strode past, lowering his hat to cover his face. Norman peered at him curiously. The boy watched the floor, determined not to make eye contact. The Gym Leader found this suspicious.

"Hey," Norman said, and grabbed him as he passed. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing sir," mumbled the boy. "I was going to talk to Paul."

Norman frowned. "Paul is dead."

The boy gave no visible reaction to the news. "Oh," he said.

"What's your name?" Norman queried. He was going to write this boy down, make sure he got a full background check.

"Riley," the boy replied. He hesitated before saying, "Can I go now?"

Confused and a feeling a bit undermined, Norman practically shooed Riley away. Once the boy was clear out of sight, Norman headed to his office to get his briefcase. He would need an alibi to tell his wife why he had not come home last night. After all, he couldn't tell her he went to an army base, now, could he?

* * *

Riley silently let himself into Paul's office, gazing around at the small, bare room. Someone had started packing up Paul's things. Boxes were strewn about the room, and the desk was clear.

Behind him, Riley heard a small _whoosh_ of wind. The door had opened again. Without turning around, Riley smirked. "They think you're dead."

"A perfect time to quit," Paul replied. He clicked the door shut. "What are you doing here?"

Riley turned to face him, removing his hat. "So you're leaving?" he asked, ignoring Paul's question.

Paul met his smirk with a cold glare. "I don't want to talk to you."

"You made the choice to do this," Riley shot back, no longer amused. "I wanted you to be a thief. You decided to be an assassin."

"Yeah, because one is so much better than the other," Paul said snidely as he pushed past Riley.

Riley gaped at him. "What is wrong with you?"

Paul shrugged, no longer enjoying the fight. "I don't know. I'm miserable. I have a bullet hole in my back. I think it's time to quit, since I can get away with not doing the paperwork." He stood behind his desk and started removing things from the drawers.

Abruptly, Riley slammed something on the desk, making Paul jump. "Listen," Riley growled, "everyone who knows how to fight beyond a kick to the groin is gone, off at a war caused by a weapon that was detonated by the people of this country. Doesn't that seem fishy to you?"

Paul glanced at the file Riley had whacked on his desk, then flicked his eyes up at the thief. "Yeah, sure. Why do I care?"

Riley flipped open the file, and Paul recognized it as the one Gary had shown him. "You're not going to believe me," Riley began, "but Pokemon—."

"Are creatures from another world," Paul finished, and he smirked at Riley's bewildered expression. "Yeah, I know. L17, right?"

Riley blinked. "Yeah…" he confirmed hesitantly.

Paul gave a small laugh and started organizing papers and files from his drawers into the nearest box. "How did you find out? Were you snooping?"

"I saw a locked door with a weird doorknob and thought, 'Hm. This could be fun,'" replied Riley. "What about you? Are you suddenly so high ranked that you get in on all the Company secrets?"

"No," said Paul, and Riley gave him a scrutinizing look. "I happened to find the key."

Riley blinked, trying to decide if Paul was lying or not. Finally, he shook his head and shrugged it off. "Anyways, I was bored the other day, and I broke into Tesla."

"Just for fun?" Paul questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, just for fun." Riley paused, trying to remember what he was going to say. "Anyways, I was in Tesla, and some people from Team Rocket were there, and they were sealing the deal on their merge into one company. I overheard them say something about a portal, but I didn't know what it was." Riley pointed to the file excitedly. "This is the portal! They're going to steal it, now that all our Gym Leaders are gone. It's the perfect opportunity."

Paul stared at him. "So you're saying that World War III happened just so Tesla could steal our Pokemon portal?"

Riley's excited face quickly became a scowl. "It's not that hard to believe."

"And what are you telling me this for?" Paul wondered.

"Because we need to destroy it," Riley said seriously. "We can't let them touch it."

Paul's brow furrowed. The more he thought about it, the more he realized Riley was right. "We need Drew," he stated.

* * *

May grabbed Drew without any warning and dragged him away from the cheese aisle at Wal-Mart. Her phone was clenched in her hand, and her expression was furious. Drew let himself be led away, knowing full well he deserved what came next.

When they were far enough away from the general population of shoppers, May spun around and threw Drew's arm down with disgust. "Why," she said angrily, "is Misty not answering her phone?"

Drew stared at her. "Not what I expected," he admitted. When he saw her face, he shrank back. "I don't know!"

May brandished her phone in his face. "My best friend is _not_ _replying_ to my texts or answering my calls. I called her sisters to see if something was wrong, and they don't know where she is." She got very close, her expression livid. "I don't know what kind of company you guys work for, but I have a feeling it's not a very clean one. If they have done anything to her, I _swear_ I'll—."

"Found him," Paul stated. He gripped Drew by the upper arm and started pulling him away from his crazy girlfriend.

May blinked after them. "Hey!" she cried, and she started chasing them. When she caught up, she latched onto Drew's other arm possessively. "I had him first! And you're supposed to be dead!"

"I got better," Paul replied lazily. He pulled his slim phone from his pocket and started dialing. "Riley and I have a job for you and the nerd."

Drew looked from him to May and back again. "Look, guys, I just came here to get some pepper jack for my turkey sandwich. Can I take care of that first?"

"No," both his captors answered simultaneously.

Paul pulled out his phone and speedily dialed someone."Yeah," he said into the phone. "Yeah, I got him. We're near the cheese." Paul paused. "You ran into one of your friends from childhood?" He stopped again, listening. "Whatever. But we need her gone before we leave okay?" After another moment in which whoever was on the other end spoke, Paul hung up. "Don't you try running away," he said to Drew.

"I just want some cheese!" cried Drew.

"Where is Misty?" May demanded, leaning around Drew to talk to Paul.

Paul frowned. "Is she missing?"

May nodded frantically. "I was gonna interrogate Ferb here," she said, giving Drew a jerk, "but then you showed up, so I guess I'll just tag along until I find Misty."

"I bet she's with Ash," Paul decided.

"Ash isn't with you?" exclaimed May.

Paul shook his head. "No. The Company is trying to kill him, and they probably know he likes Misty, so he took her with him. It's all for her own protection," he finished. Suddenly, he saw who Riley's childhood friend was. "No way," he grumbled.

"PAUL!" yelled Dawn, and she sprinted—full tilt—across the store.

"No no no no no," Paul tried. He held up his hands in an effort to slow her down.

It did not work. Dawn crashed into him, knocking him down to the dirty linoleum floor and landing on top of him. "I thought you were dead!" she shouted, and several people who were walking by stared. "You were dead!"

Paul winced with pain as he tried to get up, his bullet wound aching from its date with the ground. "You troublesome—." He never got to finish his insult.

Dawn cut him off with a determined kiss, forcing him back down on the ground. Drew, May, and the recently arrived Riley gaped at the spectacle before them, as did many of the shoppers around them. Paul's eyes were wide open, and he attempted to pull away. However, his position did not make this possible. He was forced to sit there and endure her kiss.

Finally, she broke away, and Paul wiped his mouth off with the back of his sleeve. "Don't _ever,_" he said threateningly, "do that again."

Dawn completely ignored him and threw her arms around him in a thrilled hug. "I'm so happy you're alive!" she cheered.

"I'd rather be dead right now," Paul grumbled, and he shoved her off. Not caring that Dawn fell back on her backside, he stood and dusted himself off. Without hesitation, he grabbed Drew again and led him away. "We're leaving."

May yanked Dawn back to her feet. "We're following," she stated.

"No you're not," Paul called over his shoulder.

"Riley," said Drew, twisting around in Paul's grip. "Pepper jack. Please."

Riley shrugged and said nothing.

"Yes," Dawn decided. She grabbed Paul's shoulder and spun him around with surprising strength. "We are." She stared into his cold black eyes, not blinking, determined to sway him.

Paul glared down at her, not the least bit lost in her blue eyes. She was a stupid, troublesome girl with breasts bigger than her brain. Her blue hair was nothing short of weird. Paul scowled at Dawn, and for some reason the image of her perched on the edge of a cement roof would not leave his mind. Confused, he peered at her eyes a little more closely. The deep crystal blue was achingly familiar…

"What?" asked Dawn. She had loosened her grip on his arm, and was now gazing up at him with a puzzled expression.

"Strange," Paul mumbled. Abruptly, he yanked his arm out of her timid grasp. "Riley!" he instructed. "I'll get him to the Company. Keep these two from following us."

Riley tipped his hat. "Sure thing, boss," he said with false respect.

Paul whipped around to glare at the older man. "Not funny," he growled.

"I can't work unless I have a sandwich with pepper jack cheese on it," Drew mentioned.

"It's okay," Paul informed him, still dragging him along. "You'll just be cutting a few wires."

Abruptly, Paul felt hands on his shoulders and he was pulled back. "Please let us come?" begged Dawn.

"What?" Paul gaped at the two girls. "What happened to Riley?"

"He went to get Drew cheese," May told him. She tightened her grip on his shoulder. "We _will_ follow you. And threaten you till you give us the answers we want."

"And how will you do that?" asked Paul, unconvinced.

"I'll break up with Drew right here," said May.

Drew flinched in Paul's grasp. "Paul, if you ruin this relationship for me, I _will_ shoot you." A grin split his lips. "And you'll die of fright."

Paul unexpectedly twisted Drew's arm, making his face contort in pain. "I will snap your arm off," he threatened.

"But then I won't be able to cut wires!" gasped Drew.

"You have two arms," Paul noted.

Dawn grabbed Paul's arm and tried to pry it off Drew. "Cut it out!" she exclaimed.

Paul glared down at her, but once again, her eyes made him let go. There was something definitely familiar about those eyes…

Free, Drew rubbed his arm in relief. While Paul was distracted, he scampered back behind the two girls. "I'm not going unless they come along," he said.

Bored, Paul rolled his eyes. "So _now_ you're going to put up a fight."

"Just let them come," Drew insisted. "If they get shot, it's their own fault."

May blinked. "Wait, you weren't kidding about that?"

"Fine!" Paul snapped. "Get your damn cheese. They can come."

Dawn and May grinned at each other, giving a squeal of excitement. Paul sighed. There was a reason he had an all-guy team. Women drove him mad.

* * *

Misty woke up, not feeling rested at all. She pulled herself off the scratchy sheets and yawned widely. For a brief moment, she forgot her surroundings, and wondered why she was not in her room. But soon it all came back to her. She was in a motel, on the outskirts of the city, with Ash.

Barely awake, the redhead pulled herself out of the bed. Ash was already gone. Misty glanced at the clock and gaped. One o'clock? In the afternoon? Oh, her swim coach would _kill_ her if he knew.

Abruptly, Misty heard the sound of the door opening, and looked around with as much alertness as she could muster. "Ash?" she called sleepily.

"Oh good, you're awake," Ash stated. He closed the door and walked briskly in, dropping a bag of groceries on Misty's bed. "Sorry I left, but I wanted apples." He reached into the bag and pulled one out.

Misty blinked blearily at the bag. "Okay," she said agreeably.

Ash sat down next to her, taking a bite from his apple with a crisp noise. "Listen," he began after he'd swallowed, "we need to go back."

"Do we now," Misty replied. She rearranged herself so that she was sitting next to him, her legs dangling off the bed as she retrieved an apple from the bag. "And why is that?"

Ash grimaced. "I need my… friends," he said uncertainly.

Misty groaned. "I thought this would be a Bonnie and Clyde type thing," she complained.

"Not human friends," Ash replied quickly, despite the fact that Misty was being sarcastic. "Animal… ish… friends." Upon seeing her face, Ash reached into his pocket and produced a small, red and white ball. "He doesn't like to be in his ball very much, but I was worried he might freak you out."

"You are the craziest guy I have ever met," Misty told him plainly. "And I just ran away with you." She stared at the ball that Ash held between his fingers. "There is something in there that might actually freak me out?" she said disbelievingly.

Ash shrugged. "Sort of."

Misty frowned, and then sat back. "Alright. Whatever."

"I'm not pulling your leg," Ash insisted.

"No, no, I don't think you are," Misty replied, though never was there a tone more false.

Ash scowled at her. "Fine. I'll _show_ you." He pressed the button on the ball, and it expanded in his hand. Misty did not have time to be shocked before Ash tossed it out on the floor. "Come on, Pikachu."

There was a bright flash, and suddenly, a large yellow mouse sat before them. "Pikachu pi!" it cried.

Misty screamed and scrambled backwards, getting tangled in the sheets. "What the hell is that?" she shrieked.

"Misty! Misty, calm down!" Ash cried. He crawled after her, attempting to grab hold of her. The redhead warded him off with a pillow bashing to the head.

"You've got this mutant _freak_ of a thing trapped in a marble that you carry around in your pocket!" yelled Misty. "And you expect me to calm down?"

"Pika?" queried the mouse. Its cheeks sparked slightly, curiously.

Ash shook his head. "No, the last thing we need is for her to be electrocuted."

"Oh, so now it's a walking wall socket, huh?" Misty snapped. "Stick it with a paperclip and it'll electrocute me, right?"

Sadly, Ash smiled. "I think if you stick him with anything he will electrocute you."

Misty blinked several times before shaking her head. "What am I _doing_ here?" she wondered aloud. "I need to leave. Don't ever speak to me again, Ketchum." After detangling herself, Misty got up from the bed and headed for the door.

"No!" Ash exclaimed, and in a heartbeat he was blocking the door. "Please don't leave."

"I am giving you three seconds to move before I grab the TV and hurl it at your head," Misty warned. "One. Two. Thr—."

And Ash took a step forward, grabbed her by the shoulders, and kissed her.

Misty was nothing short of shocked. She did not respond, unsure of what to do. After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, Ash pulled away, and released his grip on her shoulders. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Yeah, you'd better be!" cried Misty, though it was more out of shock than rage. She wiped at her mouth. "Twice is enough!"

Ash paused. "Twice? Huh?"

Misty froze, realizing her mistake. "Oh. Nobody told you?" she said in a small voice.

"Other people know about this?" cried Ash. He hesitated. "Whatever it is!"

With a sigh, Misty closed her eyes and let the truth spill out. "You and I made out at my party, according to everyone that attended."

Ash stared at her, his jaw slowly dropping. "We did?" he finally said.

Misty nodded. "Yep. But I don't remember a thing."

"Me neither," replied Ash.

The two stared at each other, each trying to overcome the awkward situation. Eventually, Misty clapped her hands, successfully breaking the silence. "Now what?" she asked.

Ash pursed his lips and rocked back and forth on his heels. "I… kiss you again?" he tried.

Misty smirked. "You only want to do that because I'm in pajama shorts," she teased, tugging on her remarkably short shorts.

Grinning, Ash shielded his eyes. "Ouch. Your legs are so pale they're blinding me."

"Be careful," warned the redhead. "Two thousand years ago I had armies fighting over me. Don't make me go get them."

"From a distance, you looked like the glowing savior," remarked Ash. "Otherwise they would have teamed up to kill you." When she raised her fist, Ash hurriedly added, "Not that they would have succeeded!"

Satisfied, Misty lowered her arm. An awkward silence followed, in which Ash avoided her menacing glare. Finally, Misty sighed and her face softened. "Does this mean we're a couple now?"

Ash's brow knit. "Like, dating?"

"Yes, dating, you idiot," snapped Misty.

Ash shrugged. "I'm not sure. Drew is the expert on these things." He peered around Misty. "Pikachu, are Misty and I dating now?"

"Pika," the mouse replied. He folded his arms and gave a small nod.

Content, Ash looked back to Misty. "Pikachu thinks so."

Misty glanced back at the yellow mouse, then back to Ash. She blinked a few times before shaking her head adamantly. "Whatever."

"Pika pi chu," Pikachu reminded them, and Ash nodded.

"Yeah, I'm on it." He walked quickly across the room, grabbed his backpack, and stopped in front of Misty. "Ready?" he asked.

"For what again?" Misty asked exasperatedly.

Ash smiled. "For some revenge."

* * *

Paul was nervous. He felt as if he should not be here, afraid that if someone should see him alive and well, disaster would follow.

"So where is Gary?" May queried, looking around. She was far too comfortable in the Company. Clearly she did not understand that she was in a building full of murderers. "Don't we need him?"

"I don't know where he is," Paul answered through gritted teeth. "Why don't you call his girlfriend and have her sniff him out?"

"Ooh, good idea!" Dawn exclaimed, pulling out her phone.

"He was kidding," Drew informed her.

Dawn's eager face fell. "Oh," she said simply, and she put her phone away.

Paul glanced around quickly. "We're going to the labs," he murmured to Drew. He jerked his head towards the girls. "Stay here and make sure these two don't get killed." Paul nodded to Riley. "Let's go." They sped off, stealthily making their way down the halls until they were out of sight.

May whistled. "I love spy movies."

Drew grabbed hold of both girls and dragged them into the nearest room. "We need to stay out of sight," he told them. The moment they were all inside, he closed and locked the door.

"Your boyfriend won't try anything kinky, will he?" Dawn asked May in a worried tone.

"No," Drew snapped before May could answer. He sighed. "Why are women so judgmental?"

Dawn, however, brightened up and seemed to forget all about her earlier comment. "So," she began, grabbing May's wrist. Drew shrunk away, wondering if they were prepping for a squealing freak out session in which they bounced up and down and giggled maniacally. He'd seen the movies. He knew it happened. "Paul's alive!" And, of course, Dawn squealed.

May grinned and squealed a little bit too, and they began jumping up and down with idiotic grins on their faces.

Drew sat against the door, mortified. There was a reason women were scarce in the Company. He could not picture Cynthia doing anything like that.

"I can't believe it!" cried the blunette. "Now we _can_ get together! Do you think he knows I love him?"

May smiled forcibly. "Sure, maybe," she tried.

"Can we talk about something else?" Drew pleaded.

"Like where Leaf has been all day?" tried Dawn.

Drew grimaced. "I suppose…" he said eventually.

* * *

Leaf glared at her phone. So Misty didn't want to talk to her. Fine. Not like Leaf cared. She was just trying to be a good friend and apologize for yesterday, but Misty, being Misty, wouldn't have any of it.

With a sigh, the girl sat down on the bench. Maybe she could call Gary. "No, he's mourning Paul," she dismissed, and snapped her phone shut. Leaf decided it wasn't worth it to call May or Dawn. They probably did not want to talk to her either.

A man walked by as Leaf wallowed in self pity on the bench. She watched him go for lack of something better to do.

However, as soon as he had passed, Leaf realized she recognized him. He had been at Gary's work, passed them in the hall. Leaf blinked as he meandered on, proud of her astounding memory.

Leaf observed him as he trekked down the street, curious. Was he going to work? An odd hour to be heading to work, she decided. So Leaf got up and followed him.

The man wandered around the corner, Leaf trailing a fair distance away. She hoped he couldn't see her. The girl had never been good at sneaking up on people. Wary, Leaf poked her head around the corner. The man did not see her, or even look back, so Leaf took it as incentive to continue.

As Leaf watched him, the man (whom she'd decided to call Squinty) did not stop anywhere. He walked purposefully and briskly, as if he had somewhere he needed to be. He no longer wore a lab coat, like he had at Gary's work. Squinty had swapped out his scientist wardrobe for something much… cooler, Leaf supposed. It was now an orange shirt, complemented by brown slacks with lots of pockets. He walked with one hand in his pocket, the other one swinging freely by his side.

Squinty walked for a long time, during which Leaf followed him conspiratorially. It was not very exciting, watching this man, but all her friends had abandoned her and she was bored.

Suddenly, Squinty hung a left, and Leaf saw the vast expanse of the desert. Or, at least, what she called the desert. It was dotted with sagebrush and rather flat, with a horizon stretching to eternity. Not far down the road into the area was a building, one that Leaf recognized as Gary's work.

Without even breaking pace, Squinty began the walk to the building. It was just far enough and just hot enough in the summer sun that Leaf could see the illusion of water. She remembered some explanation for it in physics, but it escaped her at the moment.

Leaf continued after the man. It was not a long walk to the building, but it was far enough out to give it an imposing aura. It was like it was too important to be in the city where everyone else worked. It made the desert into a throne.

Leaf was overly cautious here, scared that Squinty would turn around and she would have no place to hide. It was extremely stupid to have followed him into the open. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

But miraculously, the man still did not turn. He was too focused on his goal of reaching the building. Leaf trailed him all the way through the parking lot and into the marble lobby. She could not believe it. Squinty walked purposefully towards the reception desk, where a very bored-looking woman sat. It was the same woman who had let them in before, Leaf was certain.

"Can I help you?" the woman said lazily. So now her vocabulary extended beyond "Ditto." Leaf rolled her eyes. She _knew_ the woman had been playing with them.

Leaf did not see what happened next, but she heard the loud crack of the bullet echo through the room. A small scream escaped her throat, and she immediately dove behind the potted plants that resided in the corner. From behind the leaves, she could see Squinty looking around, searching for the source of the yelp. Leaf held her breath in terror. She was able to see the woman, now lying awkwardly on the desk, a bloody red hole between her eyes…

***AN: Was that enough of a cliffhanger for you guys? I promise, we'll see what happens to Gary in the next chapter. I'm probably going to wrap this up soon, but I honestly don't know how it's going to end. If I knew that, I wouldn't bother writing it. I like to find out the end as much as you guys do. **

**Should I change the main characters in the summary? I don't want to turn readers off by making them think it's about Ash and Paul alone. Let me know if I should promote a certain shipping, or maybe mention all the ones used in this story? Your thoughts please!*  
**


	23. Chapter 23

_Twenty-three_

Panic rose in Leaf's throat as her heart began to pound. It thudded in her ears and forced her to breathe in short, frightened gasps. Her hands were shaking, and she let go of the leaves to wrap her arms around her knees. She wanted to cry, to scream, to just curl up here and never open her eyes again. Someone had just _died._ Squinty had just shot someone, someone Leaf had spoken with weeks ago. For some reason, the fact that she had conversed with this woman made it even worse.

Squinty took several fast paces forward, hunting for Leaf. He was going to find her. She knew it, she knew it, she knew—

A hand suddenly reached down and yanked Leaf up by her arm. The girl tensed and curled even tighter, not knowing what to do. The air crackled with electricity, though Leaf's eyes were shut so tightly she saw spots, not the lightning.

"I got you," someone murmured, and Leaf opened her eyes.

Ash's hand was gripped firmly around Leaf's arm. He was not looking at her, but at Squinty. Shaking, Leaf forced her head to face Squinty.

For some reason, Squinty was lying on the ground, twitching slightly. Leaf stared in confusion. "…Huh?" was the only word she could form. Her eyes fell upon the large yellow mouse at Ash's feet.

"Pika!" it proclaimed.

Misty grabbed Leaf by the shoulders, steadying her. "Are you okay?"

Leaf blinked several times before finding the strength to answer. "No…?" she tried.

"Misty," Ash said urgently. "That was Brock. He was a Gym Leader in Kanto. I knew him way before I moved. I don't think he's dead, but he won't move for a while." His eyes grew serious. "You need to leave," he told them gravely. "I can't have you guys in the line of fire."

"Ash Ketchum, if you make me leave, I will break up with you on the spot," Misty threatened, still holding Leaf.

This bit of information seemed to wake Leaf from her stupor. "You two are going out?" she wondered.

Ash sighed. "God, do you have to be this difficult? Fine," he complied. He held his finger up in warning. "But if you get killed, Misty, this relationship is over."

"I hope you know that goes for you too," retorted the redhead.

A brief smile played on Ash's lips, breaking him from the seriousness of the conversation. "Of course." He tried to say this straight-faced, but failed miserably.

Misty smirked, a fire blazing in her eyes. "Then let's go."

* * *

Gary had long since stopped struggling. The zip ties on his wrists and feet were too difficult to break through, as was the rope around his waist that secured him to the chair. It was an uncomfortable chair, at that; metal and cold and itchy-butt inducing.

Two of the Company's professors stood before him, along with Cynthia and Norman. Gary did not know why Norman was there. It seemed like they'd needed a fourth person, and he'd been the only one available.

Professor Oak, Gary's own grandfather, was heading the interrogation. Professor Rowan asked a few questions, too, but none so important. Cynthia was there to stare him down. Norman had an assortment of weapons by his side. Maybe that was why he was there. Everyone else was too old or too feminine to handle such crude instruments.

Gary took a gasping breath and tried to ignore his bloody nose. "I didn't take anything from the room," he repeated nasally.

"Files are missing," Cynthia said in a dangerous tone. "Important ones."

Gary shrugged. "I didn't take them."

"Then how did you get the key?" Oak demanded.

"Your office," Gary mumbled.

A sudden shot of pain emanated from Gary's leg, and he cried out silently. Oak clearly felt no compunction for letting another man beat his grandson. Norman withdrew the cricket bat sternly, like an evil schoolmaster.

"What were you doing in my office!" shouted Professor Oak.

"You told me to get papers!" Gary cried painfully. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out of them. "I found the key while I was looking!"

With a nod from Rowan, Norman grabbed Gary by the hair and wrenched his head up, forcing the boy to look at his grandfather. "What else did you take?" Oak interrogated. Spittle flew from his lips and splattered Gary's face.

Terrified and seeing red spots, Gary blinked wildly. "N-nothing," he insisted. Blood from his nose dribbled into his mouth, but he did not dare spit it out. "I swear. Just the key."

"Where is Ash?" Cynthia inquired from the shadows.

Gary hesitated, which earned him a punch to the gut from Norman. "Answer her!" Oak ordered.

Gasping for breath, Gary heaved, "I don't know!" He wanted to double over in pain, but Norman's other hand kept a firm grip on his hair. It bent his neck awkwardly, like it pinched a nerve. "I swear! He just ran off and I haven't seen him since!"

"Norman," Cynthia instructed, "go get the lie detector. I want Ketchum detained by the end of the night."

Norman nodded and headed for the door. However, the instant his hand touched the knob, the lights overhead began to flicker.

"The power's going out?" Rowan remarked curiously. Everyone stared up at the flashing fluorescent lights, confused, until they were suddenly plunged into darkness.

"I can't believe it!" Oak yelled, furious. "A power outage at a time like this!"

"We have our own generator," Cynthia said, and the words came out in a rush. "We can't _have_ a power outage."

There was a moment in the darkness during which everyone's eyes adjusted, and then a sudden rush as they all fought to get to the door. Cynthia was out first, and she sprinted down the darkened hallways, yelling, "We're under attack!"

Norman, Rowan, and Oak raced after her, banging on all the doors of the Company to alert their fellows.

Gary was left in the chair, tied down and forgotten.

* * *

Paul and Riley stepped into the lab silently. It was empty, save for a few pokeballs lying on the counter. With a sigh, Paul stepped forward and swept them into his pocket. At Riley's expression, he said, "We might need them."

Without warning, the lights above them began to flicker and flash. Riley and Paul watched the lights strobe with frowns on their faces. And then they were plunged into darkness.

Paul sighed miserably. "Great," he said. "We lose Gary, and then the power goes out—."

Riley cut him off. "The power can't go out," he said quickly.

"What do you mean, the power can't go out?"

"I mean the Company is powered by a generator that _can't_ go out unless someone physically interferes with it," snapped Riley, worry creeping into his words.

Paul stared at him. "Oh," he realized.

"Yeah!" Riley replied nervously.

There was a moment where the two of them stared at each other in the dark, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, Riley and Paul sprang into action, racing out of the room and sliding into the darkened hall.

"Where's the generator?" Paul asked as they sped through the darkness. He cursed the day the architects decided no windows in the halls was a good idea. The assassin bumped the wall, taking a turn too late.

"Basement," Riley answered from somewhere behind him.

The two men sped through the halls by memory, and it took longer than it should have for them to find the generator. When they arrived, they saw the grand machine. It took up the entire room, leaving a narrow area for walking and maintenance. However, instead of the pleasant hum of the generator, it whirred and spat shocks of electricity irregularly. Lights on it flashed and its inner workings made sounds that did not sound right.

"What happened?" Riley asked uselessly.

Paul shook his head. "A Pokemon?" he wondered. "Or a person?"

"Or both."

Paul and Riley whipped around, Riley nearly losing his hat in the process. Behind them, in the shadows, something sparked with lightning. It stepped out of the dark, setting one majestic paw after the other. The creature was a great cat, colored yellow and blue. A spiky black mane encased its vicious face, and electricity crackled on its fur.

Behind the beast, however, was Cassidy.

"Like him?" she purred, scratching the cat on the head. "His name is Luxray. How exotic, hm? And according to old Oak's papers, this big guy is a level seventy."

Riley stared at her. "You stole from the lab?" he queried.

"Duh." Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Jeez, no wonder you wear that stupid hat. You're brain must fall out all the time."

Subconsciously, Riley's hand drifted up to his hat.

Paul glared at Cassidy, his hand itching at his belt where his pokeballs were. "How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Oh, too long," said Cassidy. She folded her arms across her chest and struck a bored pose, speaking in a matching tone. "I mean, since this morning. And I had to sit around, waiting for Giovanni to give the signal, and it was _really_ boring."

"Giovanni's here?" demanded Paul.

Cassidy smirked. "But you'll never get to him," she taunted.

"Riley," Paul murmured, and the man inched towards Paul in response, "as soon as we start battling, get around her and tell Cynthia Team Rocket has infiltrated the building."

"Luxray," Cassidy said silkily, "show him Thunder."

"Go! Torterra!" Paul yelled, tossing his pokeball in the air. "Protect, now!"

The great turtle groaned, and a glowing orb of light formed around them. Just as the lightning struck it, Riley sprinted towards the globe's perimeter. As it faded, Riley took a running leap, soaring right over the lunging Luxray. Cassidy lashed out, attempting to stop him, but Riley was too fast, and in seconds he had raced up the stairs and disappeared.

"Get back here!" screamed Cassidy, furious.

"Leaf Storm!" Paul ordered.

Torterra reared back, his front legs coming off the ground slightly. Behind him, a flurry of leaves began to form.

"Luxray," Cassidy said, "run forward and use Wild Charge."

The leaves rushed towards the cat, who leapt and weaved its way through them. Its body moved like a whip, snapping around the leafy weapons with scary ease.

Cassidy, at least, was not as graceful. With a scream, she took the full force of the attack, cuts appearing all over her and tearing her clothes. She tried uselessly to cover her face, but it was too late. Furious, the woman gritted her teeth and wiped at her cheek, smearing the blood across her face. "NOW!" she yelled at Luxray.

"Hyper Beam!" commanded Paul.

Luxray yowled as it careened into Torterra, electricity glowing from its being. At the exact moment of collision, Torterra's Hyper Beam went off, and for a second all was consumed by the painful, blinding light.

As Cassidy's vision cleared, she was able to see Paul's fist as it crashed into her skull.

The woman was knocked out in an instant. Blinking spots from his vision and reveling in his lucky shot, Paul reached down and grabbed the Luxray's pokeball from Cassidy's belt. Before the cat could turn and attack him, Paul held out the ball and returned it. It vanished in a flash of light. Then, with disappointed eyes, Paul gazed at his Torterra.

The turtle was lying on its side, gasping and moving its legs weakly. Paul knew what had happened. The Hyper Beam had collided with the Wild Charge, causing the Hyper Beam to explode in Torterra's mouth. Maybe Joy could fix it…?

With a sigh, Paul returned the beast to its ball. The device would stall the injuries, at least, until Paul could get the turtle looked at by someone who knew what they were doing. He was fairly certain it would not die.

Fairly.

Paul shook his head to clear it. What did it matter? Pokemon were tools, and besides, he still had Magmortar, and now a powerful Luxray under his belt.

Gingerly, Paul nudged Cassidy with his foot, making sure she was unconscious. He looked around for something to tie her up with, but with nothing more than shoelaces, he decided to leave her be. Cassidy was not much of a threat without a Pokemon.

Paul took a deep breath and stepped over the woman's body. The darkened hallway was clear as far as he could see. No point in trying to fix the generator, as Paul hardly knew what to do when the garbage disposal clogged. He rushed up the stairs and left the basement. Gary was no longer who he needed to find. Giovanni was much more important.

* * *

"Never have I ever…" Dawn was starting to say when the lights flickered out.

Drew looked up in salvation. "Thank God!"

May frowned. "Well that sucks." She got up and peered out the window. "Why did the power go out if there's no storm?"

"A power outage doesn't always mean there's a storm," Drew pointed out. Really! Were all girls this stupid? He got to his feet. "Why don't we go walk around?"

"Paul said to stay here," Dawn replied obediently.

"Paul also has naturally purple hair, a disturbed childhood, and several model ships he builds for fun," Drew argued. He stretched luxuriously. "Coming?"

May smiled and stood. "Yeah, I want to see this Company."

Dawn stood as well, but pouted about it. "Fine," she complained.

The three of them ventured out of the room, creeping down the dark hallways. "This is strange," Drew remarked. "It's never dark in here."

"So what _exactly_ do you guys do?" May prodded. "It's not really a desk job place, is it?"

Drew grimaced. "No," he agreed reluctantly. "Much more physical than that."

"A kind of job that could get you killed," Dawn remembered.

Pursing his lips, Drew shrugged. "Yeah," he said nervously, not wanting to give too much away. They slunk around the next corner, peering cautiously around. "It's like the place is deserted."

Suddenly, yelling was heard from up ahead. Drew squinted in the din and saw several figures sprinting up the hall, away from them. Dawn and May instantly clung to him, terrified. "Did they find us?" May was panicking. "Are we going to die?"

Drew gazed after the runners curiously. "They're running away from us," he remarked. He waved his hand, beckoning the girls to follow him. "Come on. Let's see what's going on."

Nervously, the girls followed Drew. He had started to pick up speed, eager to catch up with the people running. Suddenly, he glanced into the room they had run out of, and came to a screeching halt. "Oh God," he said.

"What?" Dawn demanded. The two girls raced to him, curious. "What's the matter?"

"Gary," Drew said quietly. He stepped into the room, slowly walking up to his friend. "What did they do to you?"

Gary coughed once, spraying blood out his mouth. "They want Ash," he breathed.

Drew immediately set to cutting the zip ties and rope. "God, I'm so sorry," he told him, his hands shaking. "This shouldn't have happened. Really."

"Company's… corrupt," Gary managed, hardly paying Drew any attention. "Grandpa… is hoarding the Pokemon."

Drew froze. "What?"

Gary swung his bloody head around to look at him. "We're not…" He paused, taking a shaky breath. "We're not protecting the world from Tesla." Gary swallowed. "We're racing with them for control."

In a heartbeat Drew was cutting the ties again earnestly. "Are you sure?" he pressed.

"I figured it all out," Gary told him, just as the tie restricting his hands was cut. Drew moved on to his legs. "We need to destroy the portal."

"You guys work for a company of killers!" shrieked May, suddenly understanding. "Vicious, violent, cold blooded killers!"

"It's not like that," Drew muttered without looking up.

May gaped at him. "Look what they did to Gary!" she cried. "Someone who works for them!"

Drew cut the last of the ties and grabbed Gary by the shoulders. "Who was it?" he asked. "Torturing you, who was it?"

Gary blinked sleepily, his consciousness slipping. "Cynthia… Grandpa… Rowan and… Norman."

"Do all the Gym Leaders know how corrupt this is?" Drew went on. He squeezed Gary's shoulders, trying to keep him awake.

Gary's head lolled onto Drew's shoulder. "I don't think so," he murmured. "Just Norman." Suddenly, Gary snapped up and grabbed Drew's face, forcing him to keep eye contact. "I figured it all out," he repeated. "Ash… he was being groomed for Champion in Kanto, and then his dad switched sides. Kanto's champ was afraid Ash would follow, so they reset him, blanked him, and brought him here. They," he paused to swallow, "they tried to make him hate his father."

Drew shook his head. "That didn't work, did it?"

Gary did the same, shaking his head no. "So now they're going to kill him."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" May demanded. Dawn was gaping next to her, too shocked to speak.

Drew scooped Gary up. "No," he growled as he sped out of the room.

May and Dawn hurried after him. "Then why did you—?" May began.

Drew did not hear the rest of her question, and maybe she did not even finish it. All he knew was that one moment he had been running, and the next he was on the ground, seeing stars.

"…the hell?" Drew managed, rubbing his head. He opened one eye painfully. "Ash?"

Ash's face was screwed up with pain, and he was massaging his forehead with the base of his palm. "God, Drew, where did you come from?"

"You're not supposed to be here!" Drew exclaimed. "They'll _kill_ you!"

"Gary!" Leaf cried in horror. She flew to where he was lying a few feet away from Drew dropping him. "What happened to you?"

Gary was beyond responding at this point. Leaf was beginning to panic, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him vigorously. "He's just unconscious," Drew assured her, getting to his feet.

Misty folded her arms and frowned. "Why is Gary half dead?" she asked, as if she were suddenly familiar with this sort of thing.

At that moment, footsteps were heard pattering towards them. Immediately, Drew tossed the ball on his belt into the open. "Roserade!" he exclaimed, and he was about to say more, but May and Dawn's screams cut him off.

"What is _that?_" yelled Dawn, reeling back. Leaf looked up at the sound of their panic and yelped as well.

"Rose?" queried the Pokemon, lowering its flowers.

"It's a talking flower!" May cried in terror.

Misty snickered. "I am _so _ahead of this learning curve."

Suddenly, the owner of the footsteps came skidding close enough to be seen in the darkness. The sight of it made the three girls skitter back in fear, now clinging to each other. It was a short, blue creature with floppy ears and spikes driven into its paws. It knelt in a respectful position, though its eyes were red and far from friendly.

"Lucario!" a new voice exclaimed, running up behind the thing.

"Riley!" Drew greeted. "You scared us."

Riley came into view, panting slightly. "What's Ash doing here?" he wondered, gesturing at the teenager.

"What are all these crazy-ass animals doing here?" Dawn wondered back, though her voice was shriller.

"I came for the rest of my Pokemon," Ash told Riley. "And then we ran into Brock."

"Brock?" queried Drew.

"Anyone else confused?" asked Dawn, to which all the girls raised their hands.

Ash nodded, ignoring the girls again. "He killed Martha."

"He must be with Rocket," Riley said urgently. "I've got to find Cynthia and warn her."

"They already know," Gary groaned from where he lay on the floor. Leaf knelt by him instantly, cooing softly over his injuries. "That's why they left me."

Drew looked up abruptly. "What if they're already at the portal?"

Suddenly, the three men were tensed and itching to run off. "Leaf," Ash ordered quietly, "take Gary downstairs. The infirmary is on that floor." He glanced at Riley. "Help her. When he's safe, meet us in the portal room."

"L17," Riley recited. He nodded. "Right." Bending down, he lifted Gary in his arms. "Lucario, lead the way."

The blue thing nodded obediently and took off down the hall. Riley and Leaf followed, disappearing from sight.

"Come on!" Ash exclaimed, and he grabbed Misty's hand and pulled her along. Drew gripped May and led the way, Dawn chasing after them.

"They blanked me," Ash said to Drew as they ran. "Took away two years of my life. And they stole my Pokemon. Pikachu they gave back, but I'm missing the other two."

"You had _three?_" cried Drew in disbelief.

"Are Pokemon the weird things?" May wondered. Misty caught her eye and nodded.

"Yeah," replied Ash. "And I want them back." A thought occurred to him. "Are we going to destroy the portal?" he asked.

They took a sharp turn, skidding slightly on the slick floor, and darted up a flight of stairs. Drew nodded gravely. "Yes."

***AN: Shame, shame on Sammy. I meant to get this out... Saturday. And then my teachers came down with their fists of iron, and it didn't happen. Since I have a LOT of junk to do this weekend, I figured I'd better post this. It was really hard to write, though. And I haven't started the next one... Ah well. It's almost summer. What does it matter?***


	24. Chapter 24

_Twenty-Four_

Ash, Misty, Drew, May, and Dawn sprinted through the halls, searching for L17 in the din of the Company. "Where is it?" Ash asked.

"I don't' know, I've never been there!" Drew told him.

"Well then why the hell are you leading the way?" snapped Ash.

Drew scowled. "I'm in charge when Paul's not here," he growled.

"You seem to forget that I outrank you."

"Since when, Ashy boy?"

"Call me that again and there won't be a _blade_ of grass on your head tomorrow—."

"Guys!" cried Misty.

Their procession came to a halt, now focused on the people in front of them.

Several men and women in Team Rocket uniforms were lounging about the hall, tossing their pokeballs in their hands or glaring from under shady hats.

"Look guys!" jeered one of the girls. "Company workers!"

The other Rockets snickered as if this were a derogative term, and began closing in on the group.

"How did they get pokeballs?" Drew exclaimed in disbelief.

Ash counted quickly. "There's… five of us and… twelve of them."

"And we have two Pokemon," Dawn reminded him.

Drew and Ash immediately shushed her, but the Rockets had heard and were now howling with laughter. "They think they can take us?" cackled one of the men.

"This should be fun," one of them remarked.

"They must have raided the lab," Ash murmured to Drew. They were unconsciously backing away, their heart rates beginning to quicken. "Which means there's a _chance_ the Pokemon won't listen to them, or that they don't know how to use them."

"And that's how big of a chance?" Drew pressed. He accidentally stepped on May's toe.

"Uh… none?" admitted the assassin.

"Paul!"

Dawn's shout of pure joy distracted everyone for a brief moment. They all whipped their heads around, searching for the man. Behind them, Paul stood, panting as if he had been running. "You guys would all die without me, wouldn't you," he said disappointedly. He trudged over to them, pulling several pokeballs from his pocket. "I got extras."

Ash glanced back at the Rocket members and realized they were poised to attack. In an instant he tossed out Pikachu. "Good!" he exclaimed. "I'll hold them off while you guys get them ready." He turned back to the mouse, who was baring his teeth at a black-furred dog that Ash recognized as a Houndour. "Thunderbolt!"

As the world flashed around them, Paul placed a pokeball in the hands of each of the girls. "I don't know what these are," he told them, "but Ash should know their moves."

"Does Ash all of a sudden know everything?" Misty snapped, rolling her eyes. She rolled the ball in her hand, fighting her curiosity.

May examined hers with frightened interest. "Could whatever is in here kill me?" she wondered.

Drew gestured to the oncoming assault of Team Rocket people. "_They_ could kill you. That Pokemon is the least of your worries." He pointed at Roserade. "Leaf Storm, now!"

Dawn took hers eagerly. "I hope it's cute!" she said.

Ash glanced back at them, looking at the balls hopefully. His face fell, however, and he gave Pikachu another order. "None of those are mine," he muttered.

Misty stared at the ball. "You can tell the balls apart from the outside? They all look the same!"

"Go?" May tried, throwing the ball. She cringed away from the light, unsure of what it would be. When it faded away, she blinked several times at the creature before her. "A chicken?"

"Torchic!" yelled Ash, seeing the bird. "Ember! Go!"

The bird gave a happy chirp and complied, fire hot coals shooting from its mouth.

Dawn grinned. "Let's go! Whatever you are!" she exclaimed, and she hurled the ball as hard as she could. Unlike May, Dawn watched the light eagerly, and was more than pleased when it faded away. "It's so cute!" she cried.

Ash glanced at it as Pikachu ran headlong into a Starly. "That's a Piplup," he told her. "Tell it to do Bubblebeam, and hurry!"

Misty glared at hers. "Let's see what you are." With a grunt, she threw the ball into the field.

Ash paused in his battling for a moment to stare at the creature before him. "Wow," he said dryly. "A Magikarp. That… is not helpful."

"Karp, karp, karp, karp," the thing barked pitifully, flopping uselessly on the linoleum.

A crackle of lightning illuminated the hall again, and the Starly fell. Pikachu was panting heavily, having endured both the Houndour and the Starly, and now another came forward with a Girafarig. Ash grimaced. He hated only having one Pokemon. "What do I do…?" he whispered. Suddenly, he turned to Paul, whose Magmortar was squaring off with a Golbat. "Paul!" he yelled, and the man glanced up. "Ignore the Pokemon!"

Paul's eyes narrowed, but he understood. "Magmortar," he commanded in a low voice, "Fire Spin on the Trainer."

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle, on Team Rocket!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu gave a small cry and zipped around the giraffe's legs, heading straight for the Trainer. He moved so fast he was nothing more than a yellow blur. Pikachu leapt up, electricity sparking all around him, and collided with the Rocket grunt.

The man went down with a yelp, his head banging on the ground mercilessly. "Again!" cried Ash.

* * *

Gary punched Riley in the face.

The older man stumbled and almost dropped the researcher, his jaw paining and his nose bleeding now. "What the hell, Oak?" snapped Riley.

"I said," Gary hissed, grabbing his collar, "take me to my grandpa's office."

"You need to go to the infirmary!" Leaf exclaimed, shocked he would protest otherwise."

"I _need,_" began Gary threateningly, "to get to his office. Now."

Riley stared at him. "What the hell _for?_" he demanded.

Gary only glared him down. "Take me."

* * *

The door to Oak's office was locked, which Riley took as a good sign. "Leaf," he instructed, "take a running start, and kick the door as hard as you can."

Leaf blinked at him. "Wait, really? You want me to actually commit vandalism?"

Riley stared at her in disbelief. "Just kick the freaking door in!" he exclaimed.

Unnerved, Leaf hurried backwards, her eyes wide. She backed against the wall, put on the oddest of expressions, and ran at the door with a wild scream.

To everyone's immense surprise, the door swung off its hinges and dropped to the ground. Leaf was left to stare confusedly at the door now lying flat on the floor. "I did it," she stated, bewildered.

"Great. Next time, don't scream," Riley told her as he stepped around her.

Leaf followed him eagerly, still reveling in her small victory. "But I did it!" she repeated, looking triumphant. She bounced up and down on her other foot for a moment. "Ow."

Riley set Gary on the chair. "Help him," he instructed. "I'll keep watch."

Gary fell over the arm of the chair, reaching for the bottom drawer. Leaf watched him curiously, wondering if he needed help. He gripped the handle and pulled it open. Stuff rolled around in it. Surprisingly quick, Gary snatched up the shoebox at the front and started rifling through it.

"What are you looking for?" Leaf asked, peering at him.

"Something important enough for him to worry about me taking," Gary replied. He tossed things out of the box, grumbling, "No, no."

Leaf glanced into the drawer and spied something red. She got to her knees and grabbed it, examining it in her hand. "Oh, it's one of those ball things," she remarked.

Briefly, Gary looked up. In a heartbeat he had taken it from her. "That's important enough for him to worry about," he stated, looking at it keenly.

Frowning at Gary for tearing it from her hands, she gazed into the drawer and saw another one. "There's two," she informed him. She rolled it with her fingertips into her hand. "This one is… really warm." Confused, she pressed it against her cheek. "Yup, definitely warm."

"That's cute," Riley called. He was smirking at them from the doorway, finding Leaf's actions rather humorous.

Gary and Leaf shot him a glare and continued examining the pokeballs. "I don't want to open them; they might be dangerous." Gary looked at it carefully, avoiding the button as best he could.

"Might not," Leaf replied.

A crumpling thud made them look up. Riley was on the ground, his hat knocked off and a small puddle of blood spilling from his skull. Standing over him was Professor Oak, a gun with a bloody butt trained on the two of them. "They're very dangerous," he said in a low voice. "Now give them to me."

"Riley!" Leaf cried, her voice high.

Gary wiped his blood caked face with the white sleeved coat. "No," he said stubbornly.

Oak cocked his head to the side. "My own grandson," he murmured, "turned against me."

"You were against me from the start!" Gary cried, now on his feet. "You always favored Ash, always!

"Have not," Oak argued firmly. The childlike statement somehow sounded threatening.

"You treated us like rats," spat Gary. He wiped at his bloody face again. "And you wonder why Daisy ran away."

Oak was across the room in two great strides, and the gun was at his grandson's throat. "Give me the Pokemon or I'll pull this trigger," he growled.

Gary glared at him. "Just admit that you hate me."

There was a moment where the two of them stared at each other, the tension between their gazes so great Leaf could nearly see it. Suddenly, the professor lunged for the pokeballs. Gary threw them, trying to keep them from him.

The two balls opened with the usual brilliant white light. A furious roar sounded, as did a strange cry Gary did not recognize. Professor Oak knocked him to the ground in fury, and Gary was unable to see the Pokemon. Furious, Leaf grabbed a book off the desk and hurled it at Oak. "You will not hurt him!" she shrieked.

Professor Oak did not hesitate. He whirled around, gun in hand, and pulled the trigger.

Almost instantly after the bullet sounded, the Pokemon crashed into Oak. The old man fell. The raging cry of the beasts was meant for the professor, almost personal. Gary could not see Leaf or the Pokemon, but from the space under the desk he could see his grandfather. The creatures were attaching him, tearing at him with claws and teeth. Professor Oak screamed with pain, but the animals did not stop. Suddenly, as if a signal had sounded, the two Pokemon raced out of the office. They were too large to fit through the door, and Gary heard them barrel through part of the wall as they ran.

Horrified, Gary got to his knees and crawled to his grandfather. The old man was torn to shreds, blood pooling from all of his wounds. "Oh my God," he breathed.

Oak's breathing was shallow and angry. "Happy?" he managed.

"I never wanted this," Gary snapped. He stood and did not look down. "Leaf. Let's go."

No reply.

Gary's panic rose, and he leapt around the desk. "Leaf!" he cried.

Leaf was lying on the thinly carpeted floor, her eyes closed. She was breathing, by some miracle. He shook her shoulder slightly. The bullet wound was in her shoulder, bleeding heavily but not enough to kill her. He sighed in relief and scooped her up. She did not respond to the movement.

He struggled to carry her, weak from the beating he had taken. After a moment of holding her he set her on the desk. Professor Oak's shuddering breathing had ceased. Finally.

Gary knelt down and picked up the empty pokeballs. He wondered what beasts had lived in them, and at the same time hoped he never found out. With a glance by the door, Gary decided nothing could be done for Riley at the moment, and left the thief lying there.

Carefully, the young researcher sat down in the chair and rolled it back to its place behind the desk. Then he gripped Leaf's hand, made sure she was breathing, and waited.

* * *

May did not know what she was doing. The orange chicken before her was busy spewing fire at the enemy, and quickly growing tired. Ash was ordering all the Pokemon—that was their name, right?—to attack the people instead of the other animals. The other people tried to do the same, but Ash was faster. He and Paul were swift and capable of fighting themselves. As they ordered the beasts to attack, they did the same.

Dawn has resorted to being a cheerleader. May could not understand how anyone could cheer on such gore. She tried to watch Drew, tried to understand the commands he gave the walking rose and how he fought off anyone who came to close with a series of complicated moves. But she could not. She could not believe the people she had grown close to were actually _killers._ A glance at Misty told her the redhead had accepted it, even looked a little envious at the fray. She wanted to be fighting.

And so, with all this in mind, May decided no one would notice if she slipped away.

The brunette backed away from the fight and whisked around the corner. No one saw her. She sighed with relief. Perhaps she could hide back here, not watch the violence, and be safe.

"Quickly, this way."

May jumped. She hadn't expected to hear someone over all the noise behind her. Curious, she leaned forward, trying to locate the source of the voice.

To her horror and awe, she saw Cynthia clamber up the stairs, her back to May, beckoning someone after her.

"I can hear Team Rocket over there," Cynthia went on, gesturing towards May. "It sounds like they're fighting. We'll go around the other way and maybe find their defenses weaker."

"Alright," someone replied from the stairwell, and May's heart stopped. No. It couldn't be. "Lead the way."

And then he stepped into view.

Oh no. May froze with… with what? Terror? Betrayal? Shock? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that her father was on the stairwell, one of those red and white balls in his hands, talking to Cynthia as if she were his leader.

Norman glanced away from the blond and looked towards the sound of the fighting. And he saw her.

May jumped when his gaze met hers, one of complete and utter horror. Without hesitation May scrambled back around the corner and squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she could see none of it, it would all go away.

She laughed at her own stupidity, and then realized she was crying. When had that started? Grinning with fright, she touched the tear on her cheek. And then her heart broke, because she had the worst epiphany a girl could ever have.

And that was that one way or another, she would never see her father again after tonight.

***AN: I'm so bad! I've ignored you all for nearly a month! Oh, for shame! At least we're almost to the end. This story has been a long, hard run. Although I still don't know how to end it. Just a vague idea, that's all. Hopefully it all works out.***


	25. Chapter 25

_Twenty-Five_

Pikachu was quivering with exhaustion, barely able to stand, yet it was the Team Rocket member who fell first. The mouse managed a small cry of victory before it collapsed. Ash regarded the fainted Pokemon with a grim demeanor. There was no helping it now. Silently he produced the marked pokeball and returned the creature. Without another thought, he shoved the shrunken ball in his pocket and braced himself.

Five more Rocket members were still standing, though Paul had a growing pile of unconscious (or dead) bodies surrounding him. His Magmortar was still going strong, its cannon arm smoking slightly. Ash looked around and saw Misty, lashing out at one of the remaining Rockets while her Magikarp flailed helplessly behind her. Dawn and her Piplup were somewhat behind Paul, safe because of him.

Drew was fighting with a Machoke, something Ash would have to congratulate him on later. He was just about to look for May when she grabbed him from behind.

"Ash!" May screamed.

Ash reeled back, shocked at her tear streaked face and swollen eyes. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. Now that he was turned, one of the Rocket members came up behind him. He took a moment to kick her before responding. "What, May?"

"My dad," she gasped, terrified. Her hands clutched his jacket in fear. "My dad, he's… he's part of all this!"

"What are you—" Ash paused to kick the girl away again, "talking about?"

"He's with Cynthia!" May shrieked.

Ash was about to question her further when a loud thudding reached his ears. Everyone halted in what they were doing to look back, wondering what could be so loud. A thunderous roar tore the air, and Ash suddenly knew what it was.

"Charizard!" he yelled happily, and the same instant the beast came charging around the corner, half flying to keep speed. Misty and the Rocket she was fighting screamed together and clutched each other in fright. May clung to Ash, forcing him in front of her, while Dawn shrank behind Paul with her penguin.

The great orange monster roared down the hall, its feet occasionally touching the ground. It approached Ash with frightening speed, and showed no signs of slowing down. Suddenly, when it was mere feet from the Trainer, it swooped its wings up to catch all the wind and stopped. The dragon's feet came down on the floor with a thump that shook the building.

To everyone's utmost shock, Ash jumped up and hugged it.

"Charizard!" he said again. "Oh, I missed you, buddy! I've been looking all over for you!" Ash blinked and looked up at the monster. "But where's—?"

Another cry rang through the halls as something came slipping and crashing down them. Ash let go of his beloved dragon and peered around its great form. "There she is!" he exclaimed.

The giant green thing came stampeding through the halls at full tilt towards Ash and barreled right into him, tackling him to the ground. "Bayleef!" it said happily.

Misty realized she was hugging the enemy and shoved her away. "What are _those?_" she demanded. She thought she had understood the Pokemon thing, but these were completely different.

"My Pokemon!" exclaimed Ash, pushing the green one off of him. "Charizard and Bayleef."

"There's blood on their claws," May gasped, staring in horror.

"Come on!" cried one of the Rockets to his fellows. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Deserter!" another jeered.

The girl Ash had kicked followed the one running. "Fine, _you_ face the dragon then!"

Charizard jumped and landed just in front of the remaining Rocket. It let out a vicious roar, smoke rising from its nostrils. The man was left shaking, while Charizard stared him down. The two held eye contact for a moment before the Team Rocket member bolted. Charizard let out a snort of smoke to show how easy the task had been.

"Thanks buddy," Ash said. He patted the dragon on the shoulder as he passed, making his way to the door marked L17. Without hesitation, the strange knob was broken off, allowing the door to swing freely on its hinges. "Let's go."

Drew pushed past Ash and made a beeline for the portal. He ripped the sheet down unceremoniously, not wasting even a moment to stare at the glory of the machine. "May, get over here."

"What for?" May demanded, still shaking.

A smirk played on Drew's lips as he turned to look at her. "Because you know machines. I could really use your help."

May blinked at him incredulously. Slowly, she padded over. "What do you want me to do?" Her voice had grown a bit stronger with the knowledge that she was useful.

"Misty," Ash summoned, "help me search the room. Drew might need whatever we can find."

"Shouldn't Gary be doing the nerd stuff?" Misty asked. She closed the door after Ash's Pokemon had squeezed through, locking it.

"If he was here, it would be done already," snapped Paul. He was toying with Magmortar's pokeball, his eyes glaring.

Misty scowled back with just as much vigor before heading to filing cabinet to search it. Dawn had sat down on one of the lab stools. Her penguin stood before her on the desk, and she scratched its head absently as she looked around. "Hi Piplup," she greeted. Her eyes wandered back to the animal, and she gave it a small smile. "My name is Dawn."

"Pip," the penguin replied.

Dawn's gaze slid away, taking in the room again. The walls were gray and boring, like the rest of the Company. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, unperfected by the footsteps they had left. She felt Paul's cold eyes on her, making her heart race. A wave of regret overcame her as she recalled her behavior. She should not have kissed him. It had probably ruined everything.

Paul, on the other hand, was analyzing the blunette studiously. Why did she look so familiar all of a sudden? It was as if her emotions were bringing out some memory of Paul's… something he had seen years ago. The eyes were the same, he knew, but he could not connect her to anyone in his brain.

Was this his mind's way of telling him he had feelings for her? Paul almost laughed. Feelings for the mindless, troublesome girl? No. Not a chance.

And yet…

"No, no," Drew was saying, "that's not right."

"Of course it's right, Drew, now stop questioning me!" May argued.

"What, you're going to disagree with the guy who knows how to diffuse bombs?"

"You said you needed my help!"

"Arcanine, Fire Blast."

Ash paused. Who had an Arcanine…?

"Get down!" Ash shouted suddenly. He leapt up and grabbed Misty, pinning her to the ground just as the wall exploded inwards. A great rush of heat followed, and a giant creature bowled into the room. It barked once, standing majestically amongst the flames it had created, then looked back for its master.

A man appeared from the smoke, a small smile on his face. "Hey Ash," he greeted, scratching the great orange dog between the ears. He held a gun in his other hand. "Recognize me?"

Ash rolled off of Misty and pulled her to her feet. His expression was tensely sarcastic. "Wow, gee, um, I don't know, are you… Harry Potter?"

"Still laughing in the face of danger, son?" teased Alexander.

Ash grinned. "I never stopped."

His father gave him the same grin. "Who's your friend?" he asked, gesturing with his gun to Misty.

"Someone who pays me to keep her day interesting," Ash replied. He ignored the obvious glare Misty gave him.

"Hope you're getting extra for this, then," chuckled Alex. He twisted around, gazing through the hole his Arcanine had made. "Coming, Giovanni?"

The mob boss came through the hole, easily dodging rubble. His left arm seemed stiff, something that made Paul smirk. "Having a nice family reunion?" he queried, carrying the same lofty tone.

Drew caught Paul's eye. "Family?" he mouthed.

"Giovanni!" someone shouted.

Giovanni did not turn around. "Looks like he's alive after all," he muttered.

"Gotta love that loyalty blanking," laughed Alex.

Brock appeared in the blast in the wall, grinning triumphantly. "Oak is dead," he said. "But—."

"What do you mean, Oak is dead!" snapped Giovanni. He whipped around to glare at Brock, his expression livid.

However, Brock seemed unfazed. "I found his body," he explained. "But I got the next best thing." With a rough shove, Gary was thrown into view, a panicking Leaf in his arms. A bloody stain was fresh on the leg of her jeans.

Giovanni jerked his gun to the space in front of him. Brock yanked Gary and Leaf up again and forced them into the room. Dawn and Misty hurried to Leaf's side, speaking only with their eyes.

Ash met Gary's gaze with his face carefully calm. "Oak is dead?" he asked.

Gary's face set in glare as he looked away. "He deserved it."

"May," Drew whispered, "can you hear people? On the other side of the wall?" They were still by the portal, but their hands were frozen with fear.

Frowning, May leaned a little closer to the wall. If she strained her hearing, then _maybe_ there was someone there. She could not tell. And it seemed they had worse problems at hand.

That is, until _that_ wall shattered open too.

Pieces of drywall went soaring through the air, all the way to Giovanni's pile of rubble. He rolled his eyes and trained his gun on the hole.

As the dust cleared, the small click of heels was the only sound heard, and who could it be but the reigning Sinnoh Company Champion?

Cynthia appeared like a ghost out of the dust, her hair swishing as it always did. She flipped her bangs out of her eye with her hand, only to have them fall right back again. "Giovanni," she greeted, smiling. "Hasn't been long enough, has it?"

Behind the beautiful Champion, a giant blue dragon materialized, its head low and its gaze deadly. Following that came an old man whose mustache completely hid his mouth, and finally, Norman appeared.

May tried to back away from her father, but Cynthia noticed her. And then noticed Drew. And finally the portal. "What are you two doing?" she wondered. She moved her cape aside to reveal a gun in its holster, which she pulled out easily. "Up you get."

Drew and May stood obediently, Drew glaring at her defiantly while May shook and stared at her shoes. Cynthia gestured with the gun for them to move over, clicking her tongue impatiently. Carefully, Drew ushered May across the room to stand with the others.

With practiced confidence, Cynthia strode forward, twirling her gun. "Didn't I kill you already?" she asked, pointing at Paul.

Paul glowered and did not reply.

Cynthia made disapproving _tut-tut_ sounds. She had reached the group, flanked by her Garchomp, so no one dared make a move, not even Giovanni and Alex. The Champion, to everyone's surprise, stopped by Dawn. She reached down and grabbed the blunette's head, a frown playing her features. "Hm," she said. "Small world."

Dawn shrank away from her, her eyes wide. She kept silent though, and Ash was grateful for that.

"We were here first, Cynthia," growled Giovanni.

"And that makes you the rightful owners of _our_ portal?" she queried, her one visible eye glinting with fury. A growling to her right made everyone turn to see Garchomp and Charizard standing off, their heads low as if ready to attack. "Leave it alone," Cynthia ordered aloofly. "You can rip it to pieces later."

Garchomp sat up, but did not take its eyes off the other dragon.

"You want to waste our time with talk?" snapped Alex. The Arcanine remained faithfully at his side, its fiery eyes locked on Cynthia warily.

Cynthia cocked her head to the side. "You don't want to talk?" she wondered, puzzled. "Fine then." Her expression did not change as she raised her gun and fired two shots.

One hit Alex's hand, and his gun went flying from his grip.

The other hit Giovanni dead between the eyes.

Arcanine recoiled with a yelp, its ears pressed back against its skull. Alex gripped his wrist painfully and glared at Cynthia. "Still don't want to talk?" asked the Champion.

Professor Rowan spoke up. "Cynthia, what are you—?"

"Shut up," she snapped. Cynthia was fixed on Alex, a lust for blood clear in her glimmering eyes. She gestured to the group of teenagers in the center of the room.

Alex continued to glare at her. His eyes did not leave the blond woman as he clicked his tongue for his Pokemon to follow him.

"Hey Dad," Ash greeted as his father came to stand next to him.

"She's a bit of a bitch, isn't she?" Alex stated.

"Tell me about it," replied Ash.

"She just killed Giovanni," whispered Drew. "She _killed_ Giovanni."

"You too, Brock," Cynthia ordered.

Brock obeyed without question. He joined the cluster of scared and angry people, looking to Alex for help.

"Now," said Cynthia coldly. She stepped up to Drew and pressed the gun to his skull while her Garchomp kept the others from attacking her. "What were you doing to my portal?"

Drew leaned away from the weapon, but his only reply was a stubborn expression.

Cynthia sighed with disappointment. "Shame," she said, and she cocked the gun.

"Cynthia, I really don't think—," Professor Rowan began again.

"_Shut up!_" screeched the Champion. In a heartbeat she had flicked the gun towards him and shot him in the chest.

Norman jumped back, his expression shocked, and looked between Cynthia and the body of Rowan. "What did he do?" cried Norman.

"What were you doing to my portal?" Cynthia asked again, pressing the gun even deeper into Drew's head. Drew, however, remained stubbornly silent. Cynthia took a breath that made her chest heave. "Fine," she conceded.

And she turned the gun on May.

"What were you doing to my portal, Drew?" she demanded in a low, dangerous tone.

Drew did not think. He lunged at Cynthia's hand, yanked her down, and tore the gun from her. A shot rang through the air, and all hell seemed to break loose. May kicked away from the blond woman as Drew wrestled with her. Cynthia attacked Drew viciously, utilizing her nails and heeled boots to their full potential.

Alex shouted something to his Arcanine, and as it bolted from the room, Ash jumped on him. He wrapped his arm around his father's neck and _squeezed._

Cynthia's Garchomp leapt into a fight with Charizard and Bayleef. It was strong enough to take on the both of them, and it even seemed to be winning.

Gary dove for the portal, ripped open the paneling, and started working on it. Paul unleashed the Luxray he had taken from Cassidy and sent it to help Bayleef and Charizard. He rushed over to Gary and leaned down to him. "What do you need?" he asked, loud so as to be heard over the noise.

Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out two pokeballs. "Give these to Ash when you can," he yelled. "And make sure Leaf stays safe."

Paul nodded once and turned back to the fight. Norman looked confused, unsure of what to do, while the girls huddled together in an attempt to stay out of the way. Well, three of them huddled; Misty was on her feet and cheering Ash on, shouting out fighting moves he should use and when to look out. Paul went behind her to the cluster of girls and knelt beside them. "As soon as Gary gets the portal working," he explained, "we're going through. If we don't, more people will show up and we'll be killed."

May and Leaf just looked at him dumbly. Dawn, however, straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "Alright," she stated. She gave Paul a serious look. "I heard Ash's dad tell his dog to get the recruits. We're going to have to fight."

Paul stared at her. "No, you are _not_ fighting." As he spoke, he saw more of Team Rocket appear from the hole in the wall, led by the Arcanine.

Dawn had never appeared more offended. "I," she began grandly, "am Dawn Berlitz. No one, not even you, can order me around when my friends' safety and my own is in jeopardy." And Dawn stood up, grabbed the nearest chunk of rubble, and raced into the brawl.

A cold chill ran down Paul's spine, and he could not move. "Berlitz?" he whispered. Slowly, Paul turned. Reggie was behind him, leaning against the wall as Paul knew he would be. His dead brother offered him a pitiful shrug, and said nothing. It was with fear that Paul dared to look back at Dawn. She was clobbering a Rocket with her chunk of rubble. Now he knew why the eyes were so familiar. It was _her._ Logan Berlitz's daughter.

***AN: Remember when I used to update every three days? Yeah, I miss those times too. I blame my inconceivably late update on my new addiction to Prince of Tennis, which is a curse and a blessing. The curse is that updates will remain slow. The blessing is I can feel a fanfic coming on for it! So you folks can look forward to that, if you like that anime. Also, there has been chatter of a sequel for this lovely story. Rather... serious chatter. But it IS only chatter.**

**Everyone, thank azure blue espeon for this update. She deserves lots of cookies. Giant ones. Someone get on that, stat. Oh, and happy Fourth of July (if you're American. If you're not then... happy Monday?)!*  
**


	26. Chapter 26

_Twenty-Six_

Two Team Rocket members gripped Ash's shoulders and tore him off Alex. Alex fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Ash struggled against the two Rockets, and even kicked one where it counts, but they were too strong for him.

Until Drew knocked one down.

Ash ripped himself free of the other Rocket member. Drew appeared to have been thrown into the Rocket, his face a mess of bloody scratches. Furious, the green haired man jumped to his feet with an angry yell. He ran at Cynthia again, despite the blood in his eyes, and ripped at her hair. Cynthia screeched with pain and punched Drew in the face.

Nearer to the hole in the wall, Dawn was beating on a Rocket with a metal pole that had come from the wall. The man cowered before her, but Dawn, in the heat of it all, thwacked him on the head again. He fell unconscious, and she gazed at her handiwork. The rod she gripped was dark with blood. Dawn took a shuddering breath, scared, and looked prepared to drop the stick.

Something swooped into the room, its talons angled straight for Dawn. Dawn screamed and ducked under the great Noctowl. It flicked its wings and twirled in the air, aiming to attack again.

One of the Rockets warily approached Misty. Seeing the danger, the redhead snatched up another metal rod from the debris and armed herself. "Come get me!" Misty provoked.

The Rocket seemed unnerved at her confidence. He did not have time to back off, however, for Misty took the initiative and leapt at him.

Ash went at his father again, but this time, Alex was prepared. As his son ran at him, Alex blocked him with his arms and hooked his leg around Ash's knees, tripping the young Trainer. On the ground, Ash whipped his legs up and kicked at his father, landing one powerful blow in the calf. Alex jumped to avoid his legs, allowing Ash to get back on his feet.

Norman, meanwhile, had engaged in a fight with two Rocket members. He was bigger than both of them, and more skilled, but it was still two against one.

Across the room, Drew could not seem to get an upper hand on Cynthia. He definitely knew how to attack, but Cynthia knew how to defend, and the Champion leapt viciously at every opportunity she saw. Blood was blinding Drew, making him hesitate. Cynthia did not.

Paul kicked away his opponent, his eyes on Dawn. The Noctowl was targeting her, as was a Rocket from behind. And he could stop it. He could not have the blood of another Berlitz on his hands. Especially one he was starting to like…

With a ferocious cry Paul flew at the Team Rocket member, knocking him to the ground and pounding his fists into his face. "You don't touch her!" he yelled, and for a brief moment he was shocked at his own outburst. Then he remembered he was about to get kicked and started punching him again.

The merciless calls of the four fighting Pokemon were deafening. Charizard and Garchomp were locked in battle, bloodied teeth snapping and claws ready. The Luxray prowled around the two of them, ears back, growling as it sought out the prime attack point. Bayleef was lying on its side, panting heavily. Paul took a brief moment to return it, letting his punching bag catch his breath before he returned to beating him up.

A vicious cry tore through the air, and those who could looked over to see Charizard sink its teeth in the throat of Garchomp. Blood spurted from the dragon's neck like a grotesque horror film, yet Charizard kept its jaw locked in place. With a final gurgling howl, the Garchomp's eyes glazed over. Charizard let go, and the blue dragon fell and did not get up.

Gary, somehow overlooked, was working adamantly on the portal. He looked constantly back at the fray behind him, and the bloodbath urged him on. He saw Ash get hit in the chest by his father. He glimpsed Paul leaping to Dawn's rescue, while Brock was trying desperately to assist Alex. He watched Cynthia knock Drew out with an elbow to the head and unleash one of her Pokemon. It was purple and glowing, with a ghostly jack-o-lantern face. She yelled something at it, pointing dramatically towards the hole, and it vanished.

Was she sending for backup? Gary shook his head and looked back at the wiring. No time for that now. He _had _to get the portal working. Maybe they could send the Pokemon back and then destroy the thing once and for all.

With Drew down and out, Cynthia was free to pick up her gun and attack whoever she wished. And since Paul was distracted with the guy he was pummeling, a certain someone was left an easy target.

Cynthia did not hesitate. Her hand lashed out and snatched Dawn from the Noctowl. The blunette dropped her weapon in fright. Her neck was suddenly being pressed against the crook of Cynthia's arm, blocking her airways.

Alex threw Ash off of him and looked up at Cynthia. Ash hesitated in getting to his feet, his eyes on the Champion as well. Misty kicked her opponent one last time, knocking him unconscious, and turned her attention likewise. Paul was on his feet, his face set in a furious growl.

"Stop," Alex ordered his team. Confused, the fighting ceased.

"What's the matter, Alex?" snapped Cynthia, forcing the gun to Dawn's temple. "Too familiar?"

Dawn struggled weakly, too scared of the eventual bullet to put up much of a fight.

"Let her go," Paul ordered.

Cynthia made a sarcastically pitiful face. "Aw, does Paul like the pretty girl?" She pressed her lips to Dawn's ear, her whisper hot and unnerving. "I think he does." Louder, Cynthia said, "Or does he feel guilty?" She lurched Dawn up, forcing the girl to face Paul. "You know who she is, don't you?" laughed the Champion.

Paul glared at her, his fists clenching fiercely. "Let her go," he repeated.

"But!" Cynthia exclaimed, and she was entirely too happy with the word. "She doesn't know who you are." She looked down at Dawn. "Do you?" When Dawn did nothing but let out a sob, Cynthia continued, "See, here at the Company, we train people to be killers."

"Don't," warned Paul. Desperate, he added, "Please."

"That's enough, Cynthia," Alex agreed.

"And Paul," Cynthia went on. She pointed with the hand that was constricting Dawn's throat. "See? Paul, right there. Paul's first mission was to assassinate the most brilliant weapon's designer in the world." Cynthia frowned. "Bit of a big mission if you think about it. But, there you have it. And you want to know the best part?"

Dawn shook her head insistently.

"The best part," Cynthia whispered, "is he succeeded. And you!" she cried, pointing furiously at Alex. "You couldn't do a thing about it." Smiling wickedly, Cynthia put her sadistic mouth to Dawn's ear again. "You know him, don't you? Recognize his face? Might take awhile, but you'll see it."

Dawn blinked and stared at Alex. The man kept his eyes fixed on Cynthia, vile and unforgiving. Suddenly, Dawn's legs buckled. "Oh my God," she breathed. Then she turned her horrified blue eyes on Paul. "Oh my _God!_"

"And now you know who they are," Cynthia said happily. She repositioned the gun against Dawn's skull. "So, any last words?"

Quaking, Dawn looked up at her captor, her eyes shining with tears. But then, her terrified face became one of confusion. "Mr. M?" she said.

Cynthia's eyes narrowed. "What—?"

The Champion's words were cut off with a choking noise. Norman's huge hand had clamped around her throat. "You threatened my daughter," he hissed, his eyes livid. "I will kill you."

Cynthia's grasp on Dawn weakened, and the girl slipped through. Paul was at her side in an instant. "Are you alright?" he asked. He reached out to touch her arm.

Dawn smacked him away. "_Don't come near me!_" she screamed.

"It's working!" Gary yelled, and a strange electronic noise filled the room.

"GO!" ordered Alex, and the Team Rocket members flew to the portal.

Panicking, Gary pulled out his pokeballs. In a brilliant flash Blastoise and Electivire appeared, acting as walls of defense around the portal. "I could use some help here!" he called.

"I'm coming!" Misty replied. She ran after the Rockets, lobbing her pokeball as she did. "Go! …What's-your-face!"

The ball landed, cracked open, and jumped back to Misty's hand. The Rockets all came to a halt, crowding around what had just sprung from the pokeball.

"Karp… karp… Magikarp," the fish said pitifully.

Misty grimaced. "Whoops."

One of the Rockets snorted at the Pokemon. "Why would there even be such a useless creature?" he laughed.

And then he gave Magikarp a kick.

"Hey!" cried Misty. "I don't care _how_ useless it is, it's mine!"

Magikarp soared like a football, flailing the entire way. It collided with the wall, bounced to the floor, and flopped stupidly on the ground. "Karp. Karp," it stated.

The group of Rocket members chuckled a little. "Anyways," said the one that kicked Magikarp, and they turned back to their ambush on Gary.

Suddenly, something behind them glowed. The Rockets froze. The light grew brighter, and brighter, and did not seem to fade, until finally—

"_Gyaaaaaaaa!_"

The entire building shook. Cracks appeared in the floor, the weight too much for it to bear. In place of Magikarp, a great blue snake had appeared, its face like that of a Chinese dragon. It whipped its tail around furiously, and crashed its head through the ceiling, through the next few floors, all the way to the roof. The ceiling above came crashing down, raining debris on the miniscule people below. The snake howled again, its violent red eyes fixed on the Team Rocket members.

"M-Magikarp?" Misty stammered. Her eyes were stretched wide with fear.

"_Gyaaaaaaa!_" the snake screamed again, and it dove down, aiming at the cluster of Rockets. It quickly coiled itself around them, hissing and spitting as it did.

Arcanine, who had been standing stoically, jumped with fear, and the fur on its back began to stand. The Luxray panicked. Lightning crackled on its fur and shot up into the now visible sky above. Thunder boomed after it, making Charizard and the great snake nervous. Charizard took to the skies, or tried to. Its injured wings from its fight with Garchomp were useless. The Pokemon fluttered slightly, then crashed back to the ground.

That was all it took.

In one spectacular crack, the ground gave out. The giant blue snake and Team Rocket collapsed through the floor, screaming as they did. The force of their impact with the next floor broke through. The sound of their shrieks only grew louder.

Gary jumped at Misty and wrenched the pokeball from her hands. "Return!" he shouted, holding the ball out. A red beam shot from the ball and managed to hit the falling snake. In an instant it was gone, leaving Team Rocket to crash into the next floor alone, with no protection.

Horrified, Misty peered over the edge. "Are they dead?" she whispered.

Alex was gazing over the edge as well, silent. Behind him, Ash seized his chance. He rushed up behind his father and shoved him.

The final member of Team Rocket was thrown off balance, flailing spectacularly. Finally, Alex's foot slipped, and he went down.

Ash did not have time to relish in his victory. Brock had his arms around his neck, cutting off his airways. Ash gripped at his arms, but Brock held fast. "B-Brock!" he tried, gasping for breath. "It's me, don't you remember? I'm Ash!"

Brock only kept squeezing.

"Cherries!" Ash cried desperately. Spots were appearing in his vision. "Locusts! _Air!_" Ash felt his legs lift off the ground. "Breeding! Pewter! Rocks!" His own voice was beginning to sound distant. He could not _think._ With his last breath, Ash said, "Indi—." He broke off with a gasp.

For some reason, Brock had released his grip on Ash's throat. The boy dropped to the ground, on his hands and knees, shaking.

"Get up, come on," Paul growled in his ear. He hoisted Ash up by his shoulders, setting him on his feet. "Hurry."

Ash put his hand to his head. "Ow," he said. He massaged his throat. "What happened?"

"I slammed a brick in Brock's head. Now let's _go_."

Norman took Cynthia and hurled her into the wall behind him. Her frail form soared through the air, crumpled against the wall, and did not get up. "Hurry!" he yelled. "If you don't go now, the rest of the Company will _kill you!_" He scooped May up in his arms and ran her to the portal. Dawn, Misty, Gary and Leaf were waiting, ready.

Paul led Ash around the hole in the ground, muttering something as he did. Ash saw the bright red light of a Pokemon being returned, and felt a bunch of balls be pressed in his hands. He wasn't sure how many, but definitely more than two. "Get to the portal," Paul commanded. "I'll get Drew."

Ash shook his head, clearing it enough to focus. He raced to the portal, stuffing the pokeballs in his pocket. The machine was ready and whirring, the swirling black abyss waiting for them.

"Come on," Gary said. He grabbed Leaf's hand and helped her up. She jumped through with a small scream, vanishing in an instant. Gary turned to Norman. "Pull this lever, and the portal will never work again." He saluted the Gym Leader. "We're counting on you." Then he turned and dove into the black hole behind him.

"You're not coming?" May shrieked.

Ash grabbed Misty urgently. "It might close if we don't go fast. Let's go!" He threw her into the portal.

Misty yelled something as she went through, but it was too late to hear. Ash flew in next, not looking back to see if anyone was following.

Paul arrived with Drew dangling on his shoulder, slowly coming to. "Paul?" he asked quietly. "You're really blurry."

"It's okay. You have to get through the portal now," Paul told him.

Drew stared at him. "Okay," he said, dazed.

May looked at Drew, then back to her father. "Daddy, I—." She never got to finish.

Norman crumpled, his eyes rolling back. He fell to the ground without a word. Across the hole in the floor, Cynthia was lying, her gun in hand. A sadistic, victorious grin graced her features.

" _No!_" May screamed. "Dad!" She looked up at Cynthia, and through the tears saw the barrel of the gun turn on her.

May lurched as Drew snatched her up, jumping through the portal as the bullet whizzed over Norman's body.

Paul turned and gave Dawn a shove towards the machine. "Go!" he ordered. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cynthia struggling to stand. She aimed at Paul and pulled the trigger.

Nothing.

"Get through the portal!" Paul screamed at Dawn.

Dawn glared at him. "When we get through there," she said, "I'm going to kill you." She stepped up to the portal, the repetitive desperate click of Cynthia's gun egging her on.

The purple ghost reappeared beside Cynthia, grinning grotesquely. Paul stared at Dawn, his hands on the lever that would seal the portal. She thought his eyes were glistening. "Go," he said. He sounded so weak.

Dawn's eyes grew wide. "No," she hissed. "Not without you."

"I'm right behind you, now _go!_" Paul shot forward and gave Dawn a final push. She vanished into the darkness, and not a moment later, Paul yanked the lever down, breaking it off. The machine began to spark dangerously, and with a sound of breaking glass, the portal itself shattered.

Paul backed away, knowing exactly what was behind him. He turned carefully, moving a few loose strands of hair from his face. Reggie was next to him, smiling proudly. Across the gaping hole, Cynthia was standing. Company people—people Paul knew, like Gym Leaders and Elitists—filed into the room through both holes blown in the walls. Cynthia stepped over her dead Garchomp, her face contorting in fury. "You're _dead,_" she hissed.

* * *

The sky was so very, very blue. No clouds rolled across it, giving the seven teenagers an unobstructed view of perfection. A light wind ruffled the trees around them. All sorts of wildlife could be heard, and the sounds forced reality on them. It was too different.

"Are we really in another universe?" Misty asked quietly, despite already knowing the answer.

Ash nodded. "Yes."

Misty let out a terrified breath. "And can we ever get back?"

It took Ash a moment before he answered. He looked around at the group of them. Dawn was furious, and yet tears of agony raced down her cheeks with no signs of stopping. Drew cradled May, his touch the only comfort he could give her. Gary was murmuring something to Leaf, perhaps about the gun wound on her leg.

And he, Ash, had just killed his own father.

Ash blinked and stared back at the sky, that perfect blue sky. "No," he whispered, as if he himself did not want to hear it. "Never."

***AN: I started writing this chapter, realized it was the last one, and got scared. I tried to delay it, but I just couldn't. I went to the Harry Potter midnight premier, and then today I saw it again in IMAX, and I just got so excited I figured you all needed excitement too. So here you go.  
**

**Yes, ladies and gents, there will be a sequel. Not right away, but there definitely will be one. I'm getting started on it tomorrow. Hopefully. I'm thinking the title will be "The Indigo Connection" or something. When it's confirmed, I'll post it on my profile. I also have other Pokemon stories that I started forever ago that I never finished. Maybe those will be posted too. Till the sequel, then!***

_Cold Blooded Killers_

_by_

_Kissy Fishy_

_~End_~


	27. Author's Note

_Author's Note_

This is just one big Author's Note. Sorry to disappoint, but it's important.

I can confirm the sequel WILL be called **The Indigo Connection.**

As soon as I get the first few chapters done, it will be posted. No guarantees.

And that is it.


End file.
